verb HSK 4
tái
to lift up · to raise · to hold up

Meaning

抬起 means to physically lift or raise something upward, often referring to body parts like the head, hands, or eyes. It emphasizes the upward motion from a lower position. The verb combines 抬 (to lift, carry) with the directional complement 起 (up), making the upward direction explicit.

Usage

Commonly used with body parts: 抬起头 (lift one's head), 抬起手 (raise one's hand), 抬起眼睛 (lift one's eyes). It describes deliberate physical actions and is slightly more formal than just using 抬 alone. Often appears in narrative or descriptive contexts when emphasizing the lifting motion.

Examples

  1. 01
    抬起头看了看天空。
    tái tóu kàn le kàn tiānkōng.
    He lifted his head and looked at the sky.
  2. 02
    抬起你的右手。
    Qǐng tái de yòu shǒu.
    Please raise your right hand.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 抬起
    tái tóu
    to lift/raise one's head
  • 抬起
    tái shǒu
    to raise one's hand
  • 抬起眼睛
    tái yǎnjing
    to lift one's eyes
  • 抬起
    tái tuǐ
    to lift one's leg

Antonyms

Origin

抬 originally meant to lift or carry something (often by two or more people), while 起 is a directional complement indicating upward movement. Together they form a compound emphasizing the action of raising something from a lower to higher position.

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