Direction complement "-qilai"

起来 (qǐlái) comes up very frequently in Chinese and can be used both literally and figuratively. This is a little like the usage of "up" in English, which can be used literally, as in "stand up," or figuratively, as in "add up." When used figuratively, 起来 often serves as a direction complement.

1 Basic Meaning

1.1 Structure
1.2 Examples

2 Used for Initiation of an Action

2.1 Structure
2.2 Examples

3 Used for an Initial Judgement

3.1 Structure
3.2 Examples

4 See also
5 Sources and further reading

5.1 Books
5.2 Websites

Basic Meaning

Structure

起来 can be used to express an upward movement like "up," as in the English examples of "stand up" or "pick up."

Examples

请大家站起来。 Qǐng dàjiā zhàn qǐlái. Everyone, please stand up.
捡起来。 Jiǎn qǐlái. Pick it up (from the floor).
头抬起来。 Tóu tái qǐlái. Raise your head.
别动！把手举起来。 Bié dòng! Bǎ shǒu jǔ qǐlái. Don't move! Put your hands up.

Used for Initiation of an Action

Structure

起来 can also be used to show that an action or state has started and is ongoing:

Examples

小鸟飞起来了。 Xiǎoniǎo fēi qǐlái le . The birds started flying.
宝宝哭起来了。 Bǎobao kū qǐlái le. The baby started crying.
两个大妈吵起来了。 Liǎng gè dàmā chǎo qǐlái le. Two middle-aged ladies started arguing.
天气热起来了。 Tiānqì rè qǐlái le. It's getting hot.
结婚以后，她胖起来了。 Jiéhūn yǐhòu, tā pàng qǐlái le. After she got married, she has started to gain weight.
爷爷的身体好起来了。 Yéye de shēntǐ hǎo qǐlái le. Grandpa's health is getting better.

When used like this, 起来 is only used with spontaneous actions, like 唱 (chàng), 跳 (tiào), 聊 (liáo), or with states like 热 (rè), 冷 (lěng), or 好 (hǎo) etc. It cannot be used with planned actions.

我们做饭起来吧。 Wǒmen zuòfàn qǐlái ba.
我们开始做饭吧。 Wǒmen kāishǐ zuòfàn ba. Let's start cooking.

It can also used as a way to encourage people to start doing something immediately:

大家唱起来，跳起来 ! Dàjiā chàng qǐlái, tiào qǐlái ! Let's sing and dance!

Used for an Initial Judgement

起来 is used here to express that the speaker has only just initiated an action, and based on that, has made a preliminary judgement. It is used in the following structure:

Structure

This expresses that the subject seems adjective when the action of the verb is performed. This structure is frequently used with perception verbs such as 看, 听, 闻, 尝, etc.

Examples

他看起来很友好。 Tā kàn qǐlái hěn yǒuhǎo. He looks very friendly.
你的头发闻起来很香。 Nǐ de tóufa wén qǐlái hěn xiāng. Your hair smells good.
这件事情听起来有点复杂。 Zhè jiàn shìqing tīng qǐlái yǒudiǎn fùzá. This matter sounds a little bit complex.
这些菜尝起来都不错。 Zhèxiē cài cháng qǐlái dōu bùcuò. These foods all taste good.
你的床摸起来很舒服。 Nǐ de chuáng mō qǐlái hěn shūfu. Your bed feels very comfortable.

Direction complement "-qilai"

Contents

Basic Meaning

Structure

Examples

Used for Initiation of an Action

Structure

Examples

Used for an Initial Judgement

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites