Definition
起伏 (qǐ fú) means 'to rise and fall' — physical (terrain, waves) and figurative (emotions, markets). Unlike 波动 (bō dòng), which focuses on abstract fluctuations (data, emotions), and 浮动 (fú dòng), which conveys unsteady drifting, 起伏 implies a more pronounced up-and-down motion.
verb
to rise and fallto undulate (of terrain, waves, etc.)to fluctuateto have ups and downs (of emotions, markets, etc.)
Easily confused
- 欺负qī fusound-aliketo bully, to pick on, to push around
Examples
- 起伏，。Hǎilàng qǐ fú, xiǎo chuán zài hǎi shàng yáohuàng.The waves rose and fell, and the small boat rocked on the sea.
- 起伏，。Tā de xīnqíng qǐ fú bú dìng, yíhuìr gāoxìng yíhuìr nánguò.His mood fluctuated, happy one moment and sad the next.
- 起伏，。Jīnnián qìwēn qǐ fú hěn dà, chūntiān hū lěng hū rè.The temperature fluctuated greatly this year, with spring alternating between cold and hot.
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