Grammar · 语法 yǔfǎ · Directional Complement 趋向补语

起来

qǐlái

Three lives in one complement: upward physical motion, the inception of an action, and the expression of a sensory impression. One of the most productive structures in Mandarin.

字源 zìyuán Etymology — 起 and 来
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

起 qǐ = to rise, to get up, to initiate. The character shows 走 zǒu (to walk/move) + 巳 sì (a coiled creature — the snake in the zodiac, associated with emergence). The original image: something coiled rising into action. 起 is one of Chinese's great initiating verbs — every beginning, every rising, is a 起.

来 lái = to come, to move toward the speaker. As a directional complement, 来 indicates motion toward the speaker's perspective or into the present moment. When combined with 起, it creates a composite directional complement: something rises and comes toward — rises into the here-and-now.

The composite 起来 has grammaticalized far beyond its literal meaning. It now functions in three distinct grammatical roles, each with its own pattern and logic — a classic case of semantic bleaching, where a directional element becomes a pure grammatical marker.

三种功能 sān zhǒng gōngnéng Three Functions — The Three Lives of 起来
功能一览 gōngnéng yīlǎn · Function Overview ① 物理动作 Physical motion — literal upward or gathering movement: 站起来 stand up · 拿起来 pick up
② 动作开始 Inception — starting to do something: 唱起来 start singing · 哭起来 begin crying
③ 感觉印象 Impression — "when it comes to / judging by": 听起来 sounds like · 看起来 looks like
物理动作 wùlǐ dòngzuò Function 1: Physical Upward / Gathering Motion
V + 起来 (motion) V + qǐlái upward motion; gathering into one place
V + Comp 动词 + 趋向补语
In its most literal function, 起来 indicates that an action results in something rising, being lifted, or being gathered together. 站起来 = stand up. 拿起来 = pick up (lift it up). 收起来 = gather/pack up. 存起来 = save up (store it, gather it in).
他站起来说了几句话。
Tā zhàn qǐlái shuō le jǐ jù huà.
He stood up and said a few words.
把书收起来吧。
Bǎ shū shōu qǐlái ba.
Put the books away / gather the books up.
她把头发扎起来了。
Tā bǎ tóufa zā qǐlái le.
She tied her hair up.
语法 yǔfǎ · The "Gathering" Extension Beyond literal upward movement, 起来 often implies gathering, consolidating, or completing a collection: 团结起来 (unite together), 联合起来 (join forces). The classic Marxist slogan 全世界无产者，联合起来！(Workers of the world, unite!) uses this exact pattern.
动作开始 dòngzuò kāishǐ Function 2: Inception — Starting to Do Something
V + 起来 (inception) V + qǐlái to start doing; to begin (the action)
V + Comp 动词 + 趋向补语
In this function, 起来 marks the beginning of an action or process — the moment an activity initiates and takes off. The action is typically ongoing or emotionally charged. Compare: 唱起来了 (started singing / burst into song) vs. 开始唱 (began to sing — neutral). The 起来 version has more spontaneous, vivid energy.
孩子们高兴地跳起来了。
Háizi men gāoxìng de tiào qǐlái le.
The children jumped up joyfully / burst into jumping with joy.
他突然笑起来。
Tā tūrán xiào qǐlái.
He suddenly burst out laughing.
天气暖和起来了。
Tiānqì nuǎnhuo qǐlái le.
The weather has started to warm up.
他们讨论起来没完没了。
Tāmen tǎolùn qǐlái méi wán méi liǎo.
Once they start discussing, they never finish.
语气 yǔqì · Nuance The inception 起来 often implies the action became sustained or got going with momentum. 唱起来 doesn't just mean "started to sing" but "started singing and kept going." The 了 at the end confirms the change-of-state has occurred.
感觉印象 gǎnjué yìnxiàng Function 3: Sensory Impression — V起来 + Adjective
感觉动词 + 起来 gǎnjué dòngcí + qǐlái "when it comes to [sense]: [adjective]"
V + Comp 动词 + 趋向补语
When a perception verb (看 kàn, 听 tīng, 吃 chī, 闻 wén, 用 yòng, 做 zuò) is followed by 起来 and then an adjective, the meaning is: "judging by [sense] / when you [sense] it, [it is adj]." This is one of the most common patterns in spoken Mandarin for expressing impressions and evaluations.
这道菜看起来很好吃。
Zhè dào cài kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.
This dish looks delicious. (judging by sight)
他听起来不太高兴。
Tā tīng qǐlái bù tài gāoxìng.
He sounds not very happy. (judging by what I hear)
这个方法做起来很简单。
Zhège fāngfǎ zuò qǐlái hěn jiǎndān.
This method is easy in practice / when you actually do it.
这个问题说起来简单，做起来难。
Zhège wèntí shuō qǐlái jiǎndān, zuò qǐlái nán.
This problem is easy to say but hard to do.
重要句型 · Key Pattern 说起来容易，做起来难 (easy to say, hard to do) is among the most common expressions in Chinese. Memorize it whole — it is a template that generates an infinite family of contrasts. 看起来 is the single most common impression-V+起来 expression in spoken Chinese.
宾语插入 bīnyǔ chārù Object Insertion — V + 起 + O + 来
分离式 fēnlí shì · Split Form When a verb + 起来 takes an object, the object is inserted between 起 and 来:
拿起来 (no object) → 拿起书来 (pick up the book)
收起来 → 收起东西来 (gather things up)
唱起来 → 唱起歌来 (start singing songs)
语法注意 · Grammar Note The split form V + 起 + O + 来 applies to both the motion and inception functions. In the impression function (看起来、听起来), objects are not typically inserted — the whole V起来 acts as a fixed collocation before an adjective.
辨析 biànxī 起来 vs. 下去 / 下来 / 上去
补语 Bǔyǔ 方向 Fāngxiàng 引申义 Yǐnshēn yì 例 Lì
起来 qǐlái upward, toward speaker initiation; gathering; upward impression 站起来 stand up · 哭起来 start crying
下去 xiàqù downward, away continuation of current action; deterioration 说下去 keep talking · 坏下去 keep getting worse
下来 xiàlái downward, toward speaker completion; slowing; coming to rest 慢下来 slow down · 停下来 come to a stop
上去 shàngqù upward, away going up (literal); looking/seeming from outside 爬上去 climb up · 看上去 looks like (from outside)
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary — Directional Complement Family
下去xiàqùcontinue (away); keep on 下来xiàláicome down; slow to a stop 上来shàngláicome up; manage to (ability) 上去shàngqùgo up; from outside appearance 出来chūláicome out; become apparent 进来jìnláicome in 回来huíláicome back; return 过来guòláicome over; recover consciousness 看起来kàn qǐláilooks like; visually appears 听起来tīng qǐláisounds like