昂起 (áng qǐ) — to raise (one's head, chin, etc.) high; to hold up proudly

Definition

Literary verb meaning to lift the head or chin proudly/upward. More vivid and figurative than plain 抬头, which just means 'look up'.

verb
to raise (one's head, chin, etc.) highto hold up proudly

Examples

  • 昂起，。
    Tā áng qǐ le tóu, wàng zhe yuǎn fāng.
    He raised his head and gazed into the distance.
  • 昂起，。
    Tā áng qǐ xià ba, xiǎn de hěn zì xìn.
    She raised her chin, looking very confident.
  • 昂起，。
    Zhòng rén áng qǐ tóu lái, kàn xiàng tiān kōng.
    The crowd raised their heads and looked up at the sky.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

昂ángraise
起qǐup

昂 lifts something upward, and 起 adds the rising direction, giving the sense of holding it up high.

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
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
卬
卬áng昂áng
Same sound today

昂 pairs 日 (sun) with 卬, a drawing of a standing man and a kneeling man that gives the sound.

Open 昂 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.