Verb + 起来 (direction complement)

• 拼音: qǐ lai
• 结构: Verb/Adj. + 起来 (+ 了)
• 汉字拆解: 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self)

含义

The complement 起来 attaches to verbs or adjectives to indicate the beginning of an action or a change of state. It literally means 'to rise up' but is widely used figuratively to express that something has started or is emerging.

Verb + 起来 has three main uses. First, the literal directional meaning of upward movement, as in 站起来 (stand up) or 拿起来 (pick up). Second, the inchoative meaning of 'starting to' do something, as in 唱起来 (start singing) or 跑起来 (start running). Third, with adjectives, it can express a change that begins to take effect, as in 冷起来 (getting cold) or 忙起来 (getting busy). When an object is present, it can be placed between 起 and 来, such as 唱起歌来, though this split form is more literary. In everyday speech, the object often follows 起来 or the sentence is restructured. Understanding which meaning applies depends on context.

例句

1. 春天到了，花儿都开起来了。
2. 他从椅子上站起来了。
3. 天气突然冷起来了。

用法指南

语境: spoken, written, everyday

语气: descriptive

正确说法

• 听到那首歌，她就唱起来了。
• 风大起来了，我们回去吧。
• 老师让学生们都站起来回答问题。
• 下午三点以后，街上就热闹起来了。

错误说法

• 他起来跑了。(起来 as a complement must follow the verb — say 跑起来, not 起来 before the verb) → 他跑起来了。
• 天气冷了起来。(When 起来 marks the start of a change, 了 belongs after 起来 — say 冷起来了, not 冷了起来) → 天气冷起来了。

起源与历史

起 originally meant 'to rise' and 来 meant 'to come.' Combined as a complement, 起来 evolved from a purely directional meaning of moving upward toward the speaker to a more abstract inchoative marker meaning 'to begin' or 'to emerge.'

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal