The word "响起" is a verb-object compound formed by combining the character 响 (xiǎng), meaning "to make a sound" or "sound", with the character 起 (qǐ), meaning "to rise" or "to begin". In this construction, 起 acts as a directional complement that indicates the inception or emergence of the action denoted by 响. Therefore, the combined term 响起 literally means "for a sound to rise up" or "to begin sounding", and is commonly used to describe sounds (like alarms, music, or applause) starting to ring out or resonate in a space.