起床

• Pinyin: qǐ chuáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self); 床 = 广 (shelter) + 木 (wood), representing a wooden bed frame

Meaning

To get up; to get out of bed. The standard expression for waking up and leaving one's bed.

One of the most frequently used daily expressions in Chinese. Literally means 'rise from the bed' — 起 (rise) + 床 (bed). Used in morning routines and when talking about schedules. Can be separated by complements like 起得早 or 起不来床.

Examples

1. 我每天早上六点起床。 I get up at six o'clock every morning.
2. 他今天起床很晚。 He got up very late today.
3. 你几点起床？ What time do you get up?

Usage Guide

Context: daily routine, time

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我明天要早起床。(I need to get up early tomorrow.)
• 周末我不想起床。(I don't want to get up on weekends.)

Don't Say

• 我起了床在七点。(Unnatural word order — say 我七点起床 or 我七点起的床, placing the time before the verb)

Origin & History

A verb-object compound of 起 (to rise) and 床 (bed), literally meaning 'to rise from bed.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal