掀起 (xiānqǐ) · to lift

掀起 (xiānqǐ) means “to lift; to stir up; to set off”. It is written with 2 characters: 掀 (to stir up) + 起 (to get up). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 掀起 is built

The characters

掀 xiān · to stir up

What 掀 is made of

扌shǒu — hand
- 二 — two strokes
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亅 — hook
欣xīn — delighted
- 斤jīn — a catty (about 500 grams)
  - 厂chǎng — cliff
  - 下xià — below
- 欠qiàn — to lack
  - ⺈ — top shape
  - 人rén — person

起 qǐ · to get up

What 起 is made of

走zǒu — to walk
- 土tǔ — earth
  - 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 止zhǐ — to stop
  - 上shàng — up
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
己jǐ — self
- 乚 — hook stroke

Origin hint: 走 gives the meaning, 己 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

她轻轻掀起了盖子。Tā qīngqīng xiānqǐ le gàizi.She gently lifted the lid.

这部电影掀起了一股学中文的热潮。Zhè bù diànyǐng xiānqǐ le yī gǔ xué zhōngwén de rècháo.This film set off a craze for learning Chinese.

Questions about 掀起

What does 掀起 mean?

掀起 (xiānqǐ) means “to lift; to stir up; to set off”.

How do you pronounce 掀起?

掀起 is pronounced xiānqǐ.

Which HSK level is 掀起?

掀起 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 掀起 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 195: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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