qǐlái: 起来 - To get up; To start (doing something); To seem

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• Summary: A comprehensive guide to the versatile Chinese word 起来 (qǐlái). This page explains how 起来 goes far beyond its literal meaning of “to get up.” Learn how it functions as a crucial grammatical complement to indicate the beginning of an action (like “to start laughing”), the gathering of objects, and how to make assessments or judgments (such as “it looks good” or “it tastes spicy”). This is an essential pattern for moving beyond beginner Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qǐlái
• Part of Speech: Complement (Directional / Resultative)
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: A grammatical particle placed after a verb to indicate upward movement, the beginning and continuation of an action, the collection of items, or to introduce an evaluation.
• In a Nutshell: Think of 起来 (qǐlái) as a multi-tool in Chinese grammar. Its most basic meaning is physical: “to rise up.” From this, it gets more abstract. It can act like an “on-switch” for a verb, showing an action has just started (e.g., xiào qǐlái, to start laughing). It can also mean “to gather things up.” Finally, it's used as a lens to evaluate something, like saying something kàn qǐlái (looks) a certain way or tīng qǐlái (sounds) a certain way.

• 起 (qǐ): To rise, get up, start, initiate. The character is composed of `走` (zǒu), meaning “to walk,” and `己` (jǐ), meaning “self.” You can picture it as a person using their own power to rise from a seated or lying position.
• 来 (lái): To come, to arrive. The character originally resembled a stalk of wheat, symbolizing a harvest that has “come” or arrived. It indicates movement towards the speaker or the central point of reference.
• Together, 起来 literally means “to rise and come.” This very physical, directional meaning is the foundation for all its more abstract grammatical uses. The action “starts” by “rising up.”

While 起来 doesn't carry deep philosophical weight like `关系` (guānxi), it reveals a core feature of the Chinese language: a preference for using “verb complements” to show the result or direction of an action. In English, we often use prepositions or phrasal verbs to do this job: “stand up,” “pick up,” “start up,” “tidy up.” Chinese bundles this information into a complement that follows the main verb. Understanding the `Verb + 起来` pattern is a huge step towards thinking more like a native speaker. It shifts your focus from just “what is the action?” to “what is the direction, result, or state of this action?” This concept of verbs being modified by their results is fundamental and appears in many other complements like `下去` (to continue), `出来` (to emerge), and `到` (to achieve/arrive).

起来 has four primary uses that you'll encounter constantly.

This is the most literal meaning: moving something or someone from a lower to a higher position.

• 站起来 (zhàn qǐlái): to stand up
• 拿起来 (ná qǐlái): to pick up
• 举起来 (jǔ qǐlái): to lift up

This is the most common abstract use. It signals that an action has just begun and is likely to continue for some time. It often implies a certain spontaneity.

• 笑起来 (xiào qǐlái): to start laughing
• 聊起来 (liáo qǐlái): to start chatting
• 下起雨来了 (xià qǐ yǔ lái le): it started raining

This use extends the idea of “picking things up” to “gathering things together” or “organizing them.” It implies bringing disparate items into a unified, organized state.

• 收拾起来 (shōushi qǐlái): to tidy up, to pack away
• 存起来 (cún qǐlái): to save up (money)
• 团结起来 (tuánjié qǐlái): to unite, to band together

Used with verbs like “to see,” “to hear,” “to eat,” etc., it introduces an impression or evaluation based on that sense. It's equivalent to the English “looks…”, “sounds…”, “tastes…”, “feels…”.

• 看起来 (kàn qǐlái): it looks/seems
• 听起来 (tīng qǐlái): it sounds like
• 吃起来 (chī qǐlái): it tastes like
• 说起来容易，做起来难 (shuō qǐlái róngyì, zuò qǐlái nán): easier said than done (lit., “sounds easy when said, is hard when done”)

• Example 1:
  • 老师进教室了，同学们都站起来了。
  • Pinyin: Lǎoshī jìn jiàoshì le, tóngxuémen dōu zhàn qǐlái le.
  • English: The teacher entered the classroom, and all the students stood up.
  • Analysis: This is the most literal use of 起来, indicating upward physical motion.
• Example 2:
  • 他一讲笑话，我们都笑起来了。
  • Pinyin: Tā yī jiǎng xiàohua, wǒmen dōu xiào qǐlái le.
  • English: As soon as he told a joke, we all started laughing.
  • Analysis: This shows the beginning of an action. The laughter started and continued. It's more natural and spontaneous than saying `我们开始笑了 (wǒmen kāishǐ xiào le)`.
• Example 3:
  • 这件衣服看起来很贵，但是穿起来很舒服。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yīfu kàn qǐlái hěn guì, dànshì chuān qǐlái hěn shūfu.
  • English: This piece of clothing looks very expensive, but it feels very comfortable to wear.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of the assessment function. `看起来` is about visual impression, while `穿起来` is about the feeling/experience of wearing it.
• Example 4:
  • 晚饭后，妈妈把桌子收拾起来了。
  • Pinyin: Wǎnfàn hòu, māma bǎ zhuōzi shōushi qǐlái le.
  • English: After dinner, mom tidied up the table.
  • Analysis: Here, 起来 indicates gathering and organizing. The plates, bowls, and chopsticks are collected and put away.
• Example 5:
  • 外面突然下起雨来了。
  • Pinyin: Wàimiàn túrán xià qǐ yǔ lái le.
  • English: It suddenly started raining outside.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the V + 起 + O + 来 structure. When there is an object (雨, rain), it can be placed between `起` and `来`. This is a very common pattern.
• Example 6:
  • 你的计划听起来很不错，我们都支持你。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ de jìhuà tīng qǐlái hěn búcuò, wǒmen dōu zhīchí nǐ.
  • English: Your plan sounds great, we all support you.
  • Analysis: Using 起来 for an assessment based on hearing.
• Example 7:
  • 为了买房子，他们开始把钱存起来。
  • Pinyin: Wèile mǎi fángzi, tāmen kāishǐ bǎ qián cún qǐlái.
  • English: In order to buy a house, they started to save up money.
  • Analysis: This shows the “collecting” or “accumulating” sense of 起来. Money is being gathered over time.
• Example 8:
  • 这道菜闻起来很香，不知道吃起来怎么样。
  • Pinyin: Zhè dào cài wén qǐlái hěn xiāng, bù zhīdào chī qǐlái zěnmeyàng.
  • English: This dish smells very fragrant, I wonder what it tastes like.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates how 起来 can be used with various sensory verbs like `闻` (wén - to smell) and `吃` (chī - to eat) to describe an experience.
• Example 9:
  • 这个问题说起来容易，做起来很难。
  • Pinyin: Zhège wèntí shuō qǐlái róngyì, zuò qǐlái hěn nán.
  • English: This problem is easier said than done.
  • Analysis: A classic set phrase showing the assessment function. It's evaluating the difficulty of the problem from two perspectives: talking about it vs. doing it.
• Example 10:
  • 他一高兴，就唱起歌来了。
  • Pinyin: Tā yī gāoxìng, jiù chàng qǐ gē lái le.
  • English: As soon as he gets happy, he starts singing.
  • Analysis: Another clear example of the separable `V + 起 + O + 来` structure, used to indicate the start of an action that has an object (歌, song).

• Mistake 1: Confusing `起来` with `开始 (kāishǐ)`
  • `开始` is a verb meaning “to start.” `起来` is a complement that attaches after a verb. They are not interchangeable in a sentence.
  • Correct: 我们开始唱歌。(Wǒmen kāishǐ chànggē.) - We start to sing. (`开始` + Verb)
  • Correct: 我们唱起来了。(Wǒmen chàng qǐlái le.) - We started singing. (Verb + `起来`)
  • Incorrect: ~~我们起来唱歌。~~ (This sounds like “We get up in order to sing.”)
• Mistake 2: Forgetting to separate `起来` when there's an object
  • When using `起来` to mean “start an action,” if the verb has a simple, one- or two-character object, the object often goes in the middle.
  • Correct: 他打起篮球来了。(Tā dǎ qǐ lánqiú lái le.) - He started playing basketball.
  • Awkward/Incorrect: ~~他打篮球起来了。~~ (While sometimes heard, the separable form is more standard and natural.)
• Mistake 3: Using `起来` with stative verbs or achievements
  • `起来` works best with action verbs that can have a clear beginning. You can't use it with verbs that describe a state, like `是 (shì)` or `有 (yǒu)`, or with verbs that represent an instant achievement, like `找到 (zhǎodào - to have found)`.
  • Incorrect: ~~我认识起来他了。~~ (You can't “start knowing” someone in this way).
  • Incorrect: ~~我找到起来我的钥匙了。~~ (`找到` is already the result; it can't “start”).

• 开始 (kāishǐ) - The formal verb for “to start” or “beginning.” Use it before a verb, whereas `起来` comes after.
• 上来 (shànglái) - Directional complement meaning “to come up.” More literal than `起来`, it specifies movement from a lower place to a higher place toward the speaker.
• 下去 (xiàqù) - Directional complement meaning “to go down.” It's also used metaphorically to mean “to continue” with an action (e.g., `请你说下去` - please continue speaking).
• 出来 (chūlái) - Directional complement meaning “to come out.” Used for literal emergence, but also for making something apparent or figuring something out (e.g., `想出来一个办法` - to think of a solution).
• 过去 (guòqù) - Directional complement meaning “to go over.” Used for crossing a space, but also for the past (e.g., `过去的事` - things of the past) or for losing consciousness (e.g., `晕过去` - to faint).