What does 起來 qǐlái mean?
「起來 qǐlái」has several useful meanings in Chinese. The most basic meaning is “to get up” or “to rise up.”
But「起來」can also be used after some verbs to describe how something seems, sounds, tastes, smells, or feels.
For beginners, learn these three big ideas first:
- 起來: to get up; to rise up
- Sense verb + 起來: to seem / look / sound / taste / feel a certain way
- Verb + 得起 / 不起: can afford / cannot afford / can or cannot handle something
1. 起來 qǐlái: to get up
The original meaning of「起來」is “to get up,” “to stand up,” or “to rise from a lower position.”
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你什麼時候起來的？ ♬ | nǐ shénme shíhòu qǐlái de | When did you get up? |
| 別坐在這裡，快起來！ ♬ | bié zuò zài zhèlǐ, kuài qǐlái | Do not sit here. Get up quickly! |
「什麼時候」means “when.”「快」can mean “quickly” or “hurry up” in this kind of sentence.
2. Verb + 起來: upward movement or starting movement
「起來」can also appear after action verbs to show upward movement or the start of a movement.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 站起來 ♬ | zhàn qǐlái | to stand up |
| 跳起來 ♬ | tiào qǐlái | to jump up |
| 飛起來 ♬ | fēi qǐlái | to fly up / to take off |
| 拿起來 ♬ | ná qǐlái | to pick up |
| 舉起來 ♬ | jǔ qǐlái | to lift up; to raise up |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 飛機飛起來了。 ♬ | fēijī fēi qǐlái le | The plane took off. / The plane flew up. |
Here,「飛起來」describes the plane starting to fly upward.
3. Verb + 不 + 起來: cannot move something up
For some movement verbs, you can put「不」between the verb and「起來」to say that the action cannot be done.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 不 + 起來 | cannot do the action upward / cannot get it up |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我舉不起來。 ♬ | wǒ jǔ bù qǐlái | I cannot lift it up. |
| 這個箱子太重，我拿不起來。 ♬ | zhège xiāngzi tài zhòng, wǒ ná bù qǐlái | This box is too heavy. I cannot pick it up. |
This pattern is usually used with verbs that can describe lifting, picking up, raising, or moving upward.
4. Sense verb + 起來: seems / feels / tastes / sounds
When「起來」comes after a sense verb, it often means “seems,” “looks,” “sounds,” “tastes,” “smells,” or “feels.”
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sense verb + 起來 + Adjective / Description | It seems / feels / tastes / sounds a certain way. |
Common sense verbs include:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 看 ♬ | kàn | to look; to see |
| 聽 ♬ | tīng | to listen; to hear |
| 吃 ♬ | chī | to eat |
| 喝 ♬ | hē | to drink |
| 嚐 ♬ | cháng | to taste |
| 摸 ♬ | mō | to touch |
| 聞 ♬ | wén | to smell |
5. 看起來 kàn qǐlái: looks / seems
Use「看起來」when describing how something looks or seems visually.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這看起來很貴。 ♬ | zhè kàn qǐlái hěn guì | This looks expensive. |
| 這看起來像假的。 ♬ | zhè kàn qǐlái xiàng jiǎ de | This looks fake. |
「像」means “to look like” or “to be similar to.”「假的」means “fake.”
6. 聽起來 tīng qǐlái: sounds
Use「聽起來」when describing how something sounds.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這聽起來很奇怪。 ♬ | zhè tīng qǐlái hěn qíguài | This sounds strange. |
| 這聽起來像說謊。 ♬ | zhè tīng qǐlái xiàng shuōhuǎng | This sounds like lying. / This sounds like a lie. |
7. 吃起來 / 喝起來 / 嚐起來: tastes
Use「吃起來」、「喝起來」or「嚐起來」to describe how food or drinks taste.
| Chinese | Best for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吃起來 ♬ | food | tastes when eating |
| 喝起來 ♬ | drinks | tastes when drinking |
| 嚐起來 ♬ | food or drinks | tastes |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這吃起來很甜。 ♬ | zhè chī qǐlái hěn tián | This tastes sweet. |
| 這喝起來很酸。 ♬ | zhè hē qǐlái hěn suān | This drink tastes sour. |
| 這嚐起來很苦。 ♬ | zhè cháng qǐlái hěn kǔ | This tastes bitter. |
8. 摸起來 mō qǐlái: feels to the touch
Use「摸起來」when describing how something feels when you touch it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這摸起來很光滑。 ♬ | zhè mō qǐlái hěn guānghuá | This feels smooth. |
| 這摸起來很粗糙。 ♬ | zhè mō qǐlái hěn cūcāo | This feels rough. |
In English, “This feels smooth” is natural. In Chinese,「這摸起來很光滑」is also natural because the object can be the topic.
9. 聞起來 wén qǐlái: smells
Use「聞起來」when describing how something smells.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這聞起來很香。 ♬ | zhè wén qǐlái hěn xiāng | This smells good. |
| 這聞起來有點臭。 ♬ | zhè wén qǐlái yǒudiǎn chòu | This smells a little bad. |
10. Important note: do not usually negate sense verb + 起來 directly
For beginner sentences like「看起來很貴」、「聽起來很奇怪」and「吃起來很甜」, the easiest way to make a negative sentence is to negate the adjective or description after「起來」.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| 這看起來很貴。 ♬ | 這看起來不貴。 ♬ |
| 這吃起來很甜。 ♬ | 這吃起來不甜。 ♬ |
For beginners, do not say「不看起來」or「不聽起來」. Keep「看起來 / 聽起來」together and negate the description after it.
11. Verb + 得起: can afford / can handle
「Verb + 得起」means that someone has the ability, money, or status to do something. It often means “can afford” or “can handle.”
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 得起 | can afford to / can handle / can bear |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 吃得起 ♬ | chī de qǐ | can afford to eat |
| 喝得起 ♬ | hē de qǐ | can afford to drink |
| 付得起 ♬ | fù de qǐ | can afford to pay |
| 花得起 ♬ | huā de qǐ | can afford to spend |
| 看得起 ♬ | kàn de qǐ | to look up to someone; to think highly of someone |
12. Verb + 不起: cannot afford / cannot handle
The negative form is「Verb + 不起」. It means “cannot afford,” “cannot handle,” or “cannot bear.”
| Positive | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 付得起 ♬ | 付不起 ♬ | can afford to pay / cannot afford to pay |
| 花得起 ♬ | 花不起 ♬ | can afford to spend / cannot afford to spend |
| 看得起 ♬ | 看不起 ♬ | look up to / look down on |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 雖然這餐很貴，但我還付得起。 ♬ | suīrán zhè cān hěn guì, dàn wǒ hái fù de qǐ | Although this meal is expensive, I can still afford it. |
| 這太貴了，我付不起。 ♬ | zhè tài guì le, wǒ fù bù qǐ | This is too expensive. I cannot afford it. |
| 誰會看得起你？ ♬ | shéi huì kàn de qǐ nǐ | Who would look up to you? |
13. Advanced: Verb + 起 + noun + 來
This pattern is more advanced. Beginners can understand it first, but do not need to use it right away.
Sometimes a verb-object phrase can be split by「起……來」to emphasize the action when it starts or when someone does it.
| Basic phrase | Advanced pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 說謊 ♬ | 說起謊來 ♬ | when it comes to lying / once someone starts lying |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他說謊像呼吸一樣自然。 ♬ | tā shuōhuǎng xiàng hūxī yíyàng zìrán | He lies as naturally as breathing. |
| 他說起謊來像呼吸一樣自然。 ♬ | tā shuō qǐ huǎng lái xiàng hūxī yíyàng zìrán | When he starts lying, he does it as naturally as breathing. |
This pattern adds focus to the action. It is not necessary for beginners, but it is useful for understanding more natural Chinese.
Quick review
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 起來 | get up; rise up | 快起來！ ♬ |
| Verb + 起來 | move upward / start moving | 飛機飛起來了。 ♬ |
| Verb + 不 + 起來 | cannot lift or move something up | 我拿不起來。 ♬ |
| 看起來 | looks / seems | 這看起來很貴。 ♬ |
| 聽起來 | sounds | 這聽起來很奇怪。 ♬ |
| 吃起來 / 喝起來 | tastes | 這吃起來很甜。 ♬ |
| 摸起來 | feels to the touch | 這摸起來很光滑。 ♬ |
| Verb + 得起 | can afford / can handle | 我付得起。 ♬ |
| Verb + 不起 | cannot afford / cannot handle | 我付不起。 ♬ |
Useful vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 起來 ♬ | qǐlái | to get up; to rise up |
| 起 ♬ | qǐ | to rise; to start; up |
| 站 ♬ | zhàn | to stand |
| 跳 ♬ | tiào | to jump |
| 飛 ♬ | fēi | to fly |
| 拿 ♬ | ná | to take; to hold |
| 舉 ♬ | jǔ | to lift; to raise |
| 看起來 ♬ | kàn qǐlái | looks; seems |
| 聽起來 ♬ | tīng qǐlái | sounds |
| 吃起來 ♬ | chī qǐlái | tastes when eating |
| 喝起來 ♬ | hē qǐlái | tastes when drinking |
| 嚐起來 ♬ | cháng qǐlái | tastes |
| 摸起來 ♬ | mō qǐlái | feels to the touch |
| 聞起來 ♬ | wén qǐlái | smells |
| 甜 ♬ | tián | sweet |
| 酸 ♬ | suān | sour |
| 苦 ♬ | kǔ | bitter |
| 光滑 ♬ | guānghuá | smooth |
| 粗糙 ♬ | cūcāo | rough |
| 奇怪 ♬ | qíguài | strange |
| 說謊 ♬ | shuōhuǎng | to lie |
| 付得起 ♬ | fù de qǐ | can afford to pay |
| 付不起 ♬ | fù bù qǐ | cannot afford to pay |
| 看得起 ♬ | kàn de qǐ | to look up to someone |
| 看不起 ♬ | kàn bù qǐ | to look down on someone |
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