启 (qǐ): Qi son of Yu the Great 禹, reported founder of the Xia Dynasty 夏朝 (c. 2070-c. 1600 BC), to open, to start
启 (qǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “qi son of yu the great 禹, reported founder of the xia dynasty 夏朝 (c. 2070-c. 1600 bc).” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 户 (structural) and 口 (structural). It ranks #1312 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 启 a door 户 being opened 口. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- Qi son of Yu the Great 禹, reported founder of the Xia Dynasty 夏朝 (c. 2070-c. 1600 BC)
- to open
- to start
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA door 户 being opened 口
Decomposition: ⿸户口 (layout: surround-from-upper-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 启 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 启
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 启动verb | qǐ dòng | to start (a machine) | 6 |
| 开启verb | kāi qǐ | to start | 6 |
| 启发verb | qǐ fā | to enlighten | 6 |
| 启示verb/noun | qǐ shì | to reveal | 6 |
| 启事noun | qǐ shì | announcement (written, on billboard, letter, newspaper or website) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 启程verb | qǐ chéng | to set out on a journey |
| 启用verb | qǐ yòng | to start using |
| 难以启齿phrase | nán yǐ qǐ chǐ | to be too embarrassed to mention sth (idiom) |
| 启示录proper-noun | qǐ shì lù | the Revelation of St John the divine |
| 启航verb | qǐ háng | (of a ship) to set sail |
| 启迪verb | qǐ dí | to edify |
| 启蒙verb | qǐ méng | to instruct the young |
| 启齿verb | qǐ chǐ | to open one's mouth |
| 重启verb | chóng qǐ | to restart (a machine etc) |
| 羞于启齿 | xiū yú qǐ chǐ | to be too shy to speak one's mind (idiom) |
| 敬启 | jìng qǐ | respectful closing to a letter |
| 启明星noun | qǐ míng xīng | (astronomy) Venus |
| 启封verb | qǐ fēng | to open sth that has been sealed |
| 承前启后phrase | chéng qián qǐ hòu | to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) |
| 谨启verb | jǐn qǐ | to respectfully inform (used at the beginning or end of letters) |
启 appears in 46 compound words: 61 as the first character, 20 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 启 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future actions
to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future actions
to be too embarrassed to mention something; to find it difficult to speak about something
to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future actions
to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future actions
Example Sentences
他启干舌燥地讲了两个小时，终于说服了大家。
tā qǐ gān jī zào dì jiǎng le liǎng gě xiǎo shí , zhōng yú shuō fú le dà jiā .
He talked for two hours, his mouth dry, and finally persuaded everyone.
...中国文化中心2026新春招待会暨部省合作启动仪式举行
. . . zhōng guó wén huà zhōng xīn 2 0 2 6 xīn chūn zhāo dài huì jì bù shěng gě zuò qǐ dòng yí shì jǔ háng
... The 2026 Chinese New Year Reception of the China Cultural Center and the launching ceremony of ministerial and provincial cooperation were held
“启德海湾”第2期部署短期推出 冀《预算案》...
qǐ dé hǎi wān dì 2 qī bù shǔ duǎn qī tuī chū 冀 yù suàn àn . . .
The second phase of "Kai Tak Bay" will be launched in the short term, hoping that the "Budget"...
...°C!降温继续南下,南方多地降雨频繁期开启
. . . C ! jiàng wēn jì xù nán xià , nán fāng duō dì jiàng yǔ pín fán qī kāi qǐ
The cooling continues to move south, and frequent rainfall periods in many places in the south begin
纵管处启动鲤鱼潭水域安全全面检讨 将与地方协力强...
zòng guǎn chǔ qǐ dòng lǐ yú tán shuǐ yù ān quán quán miàn jiǎn tǎo jiāng yǔ dì fāng xié lì qiáng . . .
The longitudinal management office launched a comprehensive review of the safety of Liyutan waters and will cooperate with local governments...
【城事】外滩开关式人墙再次启用,分流客流确保平台上..
chéng shì wài tān kāi guān shì rén qiáng zài cì qǐ yòng , fēn liú kè liú què bǎo píng tái shàng . .
【City Affairs】The Bund switch-type human wall is used again to divert passenger flow to ensure that the platform is ensured:
一艘巨大的液货船刚刚启航。
Yī sōu jùdà de yè huòchuán gānggang qǐháng.
A huge tanker cast off just now.
在僵尸启示录的事件中你会怎么做？
Zài jiāngshī Qǐshìlù de shìjiàn zhōng nǐ huì zěnme zuò?
What would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
你试过重新启动它吗？
Nǐ shì guòzhòng xīn qǐdòng tā ma?
Have you tried rebooting it?
这个装置是用开关启动的。
Zhège zhuāngzhì shì yòng kāiguān qǐdòng de.
This device is actuated by a switch.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 启 (qǐ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 启 and 闭?
How many strokes does 启 have?
What is the radical of 启?
What are the components of 启?
What are common words containing 启?
What characters sound the same as 启 (qǐ)?
Is 启 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 启 with real-time feedback
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