建起 (jiàn qǐ) — to build up, to construct (emphasizing completion or upward action); to establish (a system, relationship, etc.)

Definition

建起 is a resultative verb pairing 建 ('build') with 起 ('up/into being') — the 起 adds a sense of completion and emergence, so it implies something newly coming into existence rather than ongoing construction.

verb
to build upto construct (emphasizing completion or upward action)to establish (a system, relationship, etc.)

Examples

  • 建起。
    Tā men zài hé biān jiàn qǐ le yí zuò dà qiáo.
    They built a big bridge by the river.
  • 建起。
    Zhè ge gōng sī yòng le shí nián jiàn qǐ le zì jǐ de pǐn pái.
    This company spent ten years building up its own brand.
  • 建起。
    Liǎng guó zhī jiān jiàn qǐ le shēn hòu de yǒu yì.
    Deep friendship was established between the two countries.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

建jiànbuild
起qǐup

建 means to build, and 起 adds the sense of raising or completing the action.

Characters in this word

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

  • 廴廴yǐn
  • 聿聿yù

The shape 建 shows 廴 and 聿, but it comes from an older drawing of a hand planting a pole into a base; the lower part of 聿 is not a brush.

Open 建 →

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 →

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