The compound word 激起 is formed through a verb-resultative complement structure, where the first character 激 (jī), meaning "to stimulate," "to arouse," or "to agitate," acts upon the second character 起 (qǐ), which functions as a directional and resultative complement meaning "to rise" or "to start." Together, they create a cohesive semantic unit meaning "to stir up," "to arouse," or "to provoke into being," as the action of 激 directly causes the result indicated by 起, such as the rising of emotions, waves, or reactions. This formation is a standard pattern in Chinese for indicating an action and its immediate outcome.