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起伏 (qǐ fú) — to rise and fall, to undulate (of terrain, waves, etc.); to fluctuate, to have ups and downs (of emotions, markets, etc.)

Definition

起伏 covers both physical rise-and-fall (waves, terrain) and abstract ups-and-downs (emotions, prices). Broader than 波动, which fits data/prices better, and more vivid than the noun 走势.

verb
to rise and fallto undulate (of terrain, waves, etc.)to fluctuateto have ups and downs (of emotions, markets, etc.)

Examples

  • 起伏，。
    Hǎi làng qǐ fú, xiǎo chuán zài hǎi shàng yáo huàng.
    The waves rose and fell, and the small boat rocked on the sea.
  • 起伏，。
    Tā de xīn qíng qǐ fú bú dìng, yí huì r gāo xìng yí huì r nán guò.
    His mood fluctuated, happy one moment and sad the next.
  • 起伏，。
    Jīn nián qì wēn qǐ fú hěn dà, chūn tiān hū lěng hū rè.
    The temperature fluctuated greatly this year, with spring alternating between cold and hot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

起qǐrise
伏fúfall

起 means rise and 伏 means fall, so together they describe moving up and down.

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 →

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

伏 combines 人 (person) and 犬 (dog), as a dog beside a person or a person taking a dog's low posture, to show lying prostrate.

Open 伏 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Change & Process

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