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起航 (qǐ háng) — to set sail; to take off (for ships or airplanes)

Definition

Literary/formal verb meaning to set sail (ships) or take off (airplanes) — used in writing, news, and announcements rather than everyday speech.

verb
to set sailto take off (for ships or airplanes)

Examples

  • 起航。
    Lún chuán míng tiān zǎo shàng qǐ háng.
    The ship will set sail tomorrow morning.
  • 起航，。
    Fēi jī àn shí qǐ háng, méi yǒu wǎn diǎn.
    The airplane took off on time and wasn't delayed.
  • ：“起航！”
    Chuán zhǎng dà shēng shuō: "qǐ háng!"
    The captain said loudly: "Set sail!"

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

起qǐset out
航hángvoyage

起 means to set out, and 航 means a voyage, so the word describes starting a voyage by ship or plane.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
亢
亢kàng航háng
Same sound today

航 shows a boat with 舟, and 亢 gives the character its sound.

Open 航 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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