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启航 (qǐ háng) — (literal) to set sail; to take off; (figurative) to embark on (a new journey, career, etc.)

Definition

Literally 'set sail / take off', used for ships departing and aircraft taking off; also used figuratively to mean launching a new venture or career.

verb
(literal) to set sailto take off(figurative) to embark on (a new journey, career, etc.)

Examples

  • ，启航。
    Míng tiān zǎo shàng, zhè sōu huò chuán jiāng qǐ háng qián wǎng shàng hǎi.
    Tomorrow morning, this cargo ship will set sail for Shanghai.
  • 启航。
    Wǒ men de háng bān jiāng zài xià wǔ sān diǎn qǐ háng.
    Our flight will take off at three in the afternoon.
  • ，启航。
    Bì yè zhī hòu, tā qǐ háng le xīn de zhí yè shēng yá.
    After graduation, he embarked on a new career.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

启qǐstart; open
航hángvoyage

To 启 a 航 is to begin a voyage, hence to set sail or take off.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 啟; 启 is its simplified writing.

For 启, the traditional form 啟 comes from an earlier shape with 戶 (door) and 又 (hand), showing a hand opening a door.

Open 启 →

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 TravelTravel & Tourism

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