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激起 (jī qǐ) — to arouse, to evoke, to stir up (emotions, reactions, memories)

Definition

激起 means 'to arouse / stir up' a strong reaction (anger, interest, discussion). Very close to 引发 and 激发, but 激起 highlights the emotional surge; 引发 is neutral cause, 激发 emphasizes potential/creativity.

verb
to arouseto evoketo stir up (emotions, reactions, memories)

Examples

  • 激起。
    Tā de huà jī qǐ le dà jiā de xìng qù.
    His words aroused everyone's interest.
  • 激起。
    Zhè jiàn shì jī qǐ le hěn duō rén de fèn nù.
    This incident stirred up anger in many people.
  • 激起。
    Nà piān wén zhāng jī qǐ le rè liè de tǎo lùn.
    That article sparked a heated discussion.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

激jīstimulate
起qǐup

激 means stimulate and 起 adds up, giving stir up.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo激jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 激, the 氵 side marks water, and 敫 gives the sound jiǎo; the original sense is water swashing.

Open 激 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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