The Chinese word 掀起 (xiānqǐ) is a compound verb formed by combining two characters with related meanings: 掀 (xiān), which means "to lift," "to raise," or "to turn up" (as in a lid or a curtain), and 起 (qǐ), which means "to rise," "to get up," or "to start." When paired, their individual actions merge into a single, more dynamic concept. The word literally depicts the physical action of lifting something upward, but it is most commonly used in a figurative sense to mean "to start," "to stir up," or "to unleash" a wave of activity, such as掀起一场运动 (to start a movement) or掀起热潮 (to spark a craze), where the imagery of lifting and rising effectively conveys the initiation and surge of an abstract force or trend.