想
起

About

The word 想起 is formed by combining the character 想 (xiǎng), meaning "to think" or "to miss", with the character 起 (qǐ), meaning "to rise" or "to get up". Its formation is conceptually metaphorical, where the act of thinking (想) causes a specific thought or memory to "rise up" (起) from within one's mind into conscious awareness. It visually evokes the image of a recollection surfacing or being lifted from the depths of memory, seamlessly merging the action of the mind with a sense of upward emergence to create the meaning "to remember" or "to recall".

Example Sentences Hide

我突然想起一件事。

wǒ tū rán xiǎng qǐ yī jiàn shì。

I suddenly remembered something.

听到这首歌，我想起了童年。

tīng dào zhè shǒu gē, wǒ xiǎng qǐ le tóng nián。

Hearing this song, I recalled my childhood.

看到这张照片，我不禁想起远方的家人。

kàn dào zhè zhāng zhào piàn， wǒ bù jīn xiǎng qǐ yuǎn fāng de jiā rén。

Looking at this photo, I couldn't help but think of my family far away.

每当闻到桂花香，我总会想起故乡的秋天。

měi dāng wén dào guì huā xiāng, wǒ zǒng huì xiǎng qǐ gù xiāng de qiū tiān。

Whenever I smell the osmanthus fragrance, I always think of my hometown's autumn.

在整理旧物时，我偶然想起许多已被遗忘的承诺。

zài zhěng lǐ jiù wù shí， wǒ ǒu rán xiǎng qǐ xǔ duō yǐ bèi yí wàng de chéng nuò。

While sorting through old belongings, I accidentally remembered many promises that had been forgotten.

Word Definition - 想起

xiǎng qǐ to recall; to think of; to call to mind

Individual Character Details

想 xiǎng
起 qǐ