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起身 (qǐ shēn) — to stand up (from a seated or lying position); to get out of bed; to set off, to depart (on a journey)

Definition

Polished, written-style verb meaning to stand up, get out of bed, or set off on a journey — used more in formal speech and narrative writing than in casual talk.

verb
to stand up (from a seated or lying position)to get out of bedto set offto depart (on a journey)

Examples

  • ，起身。
    Tā tīng dào yǒu rén qiāo mén, lián máng qǐ shēn.
    He heard someone knock at the door and quickly stood up.
  • 起身。
    Wǒ měi tiān zǎo shàng liù diǎn qǐ shēn.
    I get out of bed at six every morning.
  • 。
    Tā men míng tiān yì zǎo jiù yào qǐ shēn qù shàng hǎi.
    They will set off for Shanghai early tomorrow morning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

起qǐrise
身shēnbody

起 means to rise and 身 is the body, together meaning to lift one's body 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
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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →
Appears in
Daily Routine

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