发起

• Pinyin: fā qǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 发 = emit, start; 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self) — rising up, beginning

Meaning

To initiate; to launch; to start. Beginning an action, movement, campaign, or initiative, often involving organizing others.

Used for formally starting organized activities: 发起活动 (launch an event), 发起倡议 (initiate a proposal), 发起进攻 (launch an attack), 发起讨论 (initiate a discussion). Implies leadership and intentional beginning. The initiator is the 发起人.

Examples

1. 他们在网上发起了一场公益募捐活动，很快就筹到了目标金额。 They launched a charity fundraising campaign online and quickly raised the target amount.
2. 这项研究由三所大学联合发起，历时五年才完成。 This research was jointly initiated by three universities and took five years to complete.
3. 环保组织发起了'减少塑料使用'的倡议，得到了很多人的响应。 Environmental organizations launched a 'reduce plastic use' initiative that got many people's support.

Usage Guide

Context: organization, campaign, initiative

Tone: active

Do Say

• 谁发起的这个项目？(Who initiated this project?)
• 我们打算发起一场签名请愿活动。(We plan to launch a signature petition.)

Don't Say

• 用发起描述个人日常开始做某事 (Don't use 发起 for starting personal daily activities — it implies organized, formal initiation; use 开始 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 发 (emit, start) + 起 (rise, begin). Together they mean to cause something to rise up and begin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal