起 qǐ — rise, start · English

起

qǐ

rise, start

At a glance · 起

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从走己声，形声字，本指由坐卧而起。隶楷作「起」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「起」本指起身，引申为兴起、开始、建造。

Structure

形声字，走为意符，己为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinqǐ

Radical走

Strokes10

UnicodeU+8D77

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English rise, start To rise, get up; begin, arise.

Français se lever, commencer Se lever, se mettre debout; commencer.

Español levantarse, empezar Levantarse; empezar, surgir.

العربية يقوم، يبدأ يقوم أو يبدأ أو ينهض.

Русский вставать, начинать Вставать; начинаться, подниматься.

Common words

起来qǐ láiget up
起qǐrise

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