起

Call to Mind / Bring Up

Level 3Sounds Like hei2

Use 起 (hei2) after verbs to show that a memory has been retrieved, a topic has been brought up, or a task has been successfully completed and is ready.

How It Works

In Cantonese, 起 (hei2) is a highly versatile word. While its literal meaning is 'up', its grammatical usage depends heavily on the context.

1. Literal, Directional, and Other Uses

  • Directional & Physical Lifting ('up'): Using V+起 indicates upward movement or picking physical objects up off a surface. Common transitive examples include 拎起 (ling1 hei2 - to pick up), 攞起 (lo2 hei2 - to pick up), and 舉起 (geoi2 hei2 - to raise/lift). It also applies to body movements like 起身 (hei2 san1 - to get up/wake up) or 企起身 (kei5 hei2 san1 - to stand up).
  • Extraction ('remove'): Indicates removing or extracting, such as 起骨 (hei2 gwat1 - to debone) or 起底 (hei2 dai2 - to dig up someone's background).
  • Primary Verb ('to build'): Acts as a main verb, e.g., 起樓 (hei2 lau4 - to build a building/house) or 起屋 (hei2 uk1 - to build a house).

2. Cognitive Emergence (Recalling)
It is highly productive in describing a memory or idea 'rising' into your awareness. It pairs with verbs like 諗 (nam2 - think), 醒 (sing2 - wake/realize), and 記 (gei3 - remember).

  • 諗起 (nam2 hei2): To recall or suddenly think of something. (Note: The negative potential form is 諗唔起 nam2 m4 hei2 - cannot recall).
  • 醒起 (sing2 hei2): To suddenly realize (a 'lightbulb' moment).

3. Communicative Emergence (Mentioning) & Conditional Topic Marker
It is used when a topic is 'brought up' or 'surfaces' in conversation:

  • 講起 (gong2 hei2): Speaking of... / Mentioning...
  • 提起 (tai4 hei2): To bring up a specific topic.
  • Conditional Topic Marker: V + 起 can mean 'Whenever [Topic] is brought up' or 'Speaking of [Topic]'. For example: 佢講起語言學就停唔到 (keoi5 gong2 hei2 jyu5 jin4 hok6 zau6 ting4 m4 dou2 - Whenever he talks about linguistics, he can't stop).

4. Completion and Readiness
起 is frequently used as a resultative complement to show that a task has been finished and is now ready for use or the next step:

  • 做起 (zou6 hei2): To finish doing/making something.
  • 煮起 (zyu2 hei2): To finish cooking (and the food is ready).
  • 寫起 (se2 hei2): To finish writing.

5. Securing, Storing, and Fixing in Place
起 is also used as a resultative complement to indicate that an object has been secured, put away, or fixed in place:

  • 收起 (sau1 hei2): To put away / store away. Note: While 收起 is used (e.g., 收起笑容 sau1 hei2 siu3 jung4 - to put away one's smile), colloquial Cantonese heavily favors 收埋 (sau1 maai4) for physically putting away or storing objects, so learners avoid sounding overly formal or Mandarin-influenced.
  • 鎖起 (so2 hei2): To lock up.
  • 綁起 (bong2 hei2): To tie up.

6. Potential, Affordability, and Social Evaluation
When used with 得 (dak1) or 唔 (m4), 起 indicates reaching a certain standard or level:

  • 買得起 / 買唔起 (maai5 dak1 hei2 / maai5 m4 hei2): Can afford / cannot afford to buy (reaching or not reaching the price level).
  • 睇得起 / 睇唔起 (tai2 dak1 hei2 / tai2 m4 hei2): To think highly of / to look down on someone.
  • 對唔起 (deoi3 m4 hei2): Sorry. While this literally fits the potential complement structure ('unable to face someone'), it functions today primarily as a fixed lexical apology rather than a productive grammar pattern.

7. Inchoative Aspect (Starting an Action or State)
When combined with 起上嚟 (hei2 soeng5 lai4) or 起嚟 (hei2 lai4), it indicates that an action or state has started and is continuing, often suddenly. Crucially, this applies to both verbs and adjectives/states. If the verb has an object, the object gets 'sandwiched' between 起 and 上嚟:

  • 喊起上嚟 (haam3 hei2 soeng5 lai4): To start crying (no object).
  • 落起雨上嚟 (lok6 hei2 jyu5 soeng5 lai4): To start raining (with the object 雨 sandwiched).
  • 嬲起上嚟 (nau1 hei2 soeng5 lai4): To suddenly get angry / when they get angry.
  • 凍起上嚟 (dung3 hei2 soeng5 lai4): When it gets cold / starting to get cold.

8. Preposition

  • Starting Point: Used as a preposition for 'starting from' a time or place, e.g., 由聽日起 (jau4 ting1 jat6 hei2 - starting from tomorrow). Note: While Standard Written Chinese uses 起 as a classifier for accidents (一起意外), spoken Cantonese uses 單 (daan1) or 宗 (zung1).

9. Note on Sensory Evaluation
Unlike Mandarin, which uses 起來 (e.g., 聽起來), spoken Cantonese usually uses 落 (lok6) for sensory evaluations like 聽落 (sounds like) or 睇落 (looks like). 起嚟 is also heard for this (as in 睇起嚟), but 落 is the more typical spoken choice.

Examples (6)

  1. 我醒起聽日要交報告。

    I suddenly remembered that I have to hand in the report tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I wake up-rise tomorrow need hand-in report.

    醒起 (sing2 hei2) indicates the moment the realization 'clicked' in the speaker's mind.

  2. 講起旅行，你暑假去邊度呀？

    Speaking of traveling, where are you going this summer?

    Word by Word: Speak-rise travel, you summer-holiday go where [particle]?

    講起 (gong2 hei2) is a common way to transition a conversation based on a topic that just 'surfaced'.

  3. 我諗極都諗唔起佢個名。

    No matter how hard I think, I can't recall his name.

    Word by Word: I think-extreme also think-not-rise he [classifier] name.

    諗唔起 (nam2 m4 hei2) is the standard way to say you are unable to retrieve a specific memory.

  4. 你提起佢，我先記得佢係邊個。

    Now that you mention him, I remember who he is.

    Word by Word: You mention-rise him, I then remember he is who.

    提起 (tai4 hei2) shows the topic being brought into the active conversation.

  5. 佢嬲起上嚟真係好得人驚。

    When he gets angry, it's really scary.

    Word by Word: He angry-rise-up-come really very get-person-frightened.

    嬲起上嚟 (nau1 hei2 soeng5 lai4) shows the sudden onset and continuation of an emotional state.

  6. 呢層樓咁貴，我哋點買得起呀？

    This flat is so expensive, how could we possibly afford it?

    Word by Word: This [classifier] flat so expensive, we how buy-can-rise [particle]?

    When used with 得 (dak1) or 唔 (m4), 起 (hei2) indicates whether you have the means or ability to afford something.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 諗起 for a future reminder.

    Different Meaning諗起買牛奶。
    記住買牛奶。

    諗起買牛奶 is natural: it means the idea of buying milk has just come to mind. To remind yourself to do it, use 記住 (gei3 zyu6): 記住買牛奶.

  • Applying the 'glued' word order to the inceptive 'V起(O)上嚟' pattern.

    佢睇起上嚟本書。
    佢睇起本書上嚟。

    While simple resultative forms like 諗起 (nam2 hei2) keep the object at the end, the inceptive pattern V起(O)上嚟 (V hei2 (O) soeng5 lai4) usually splits to place the object (if there is one) between 起 and 上嚟.

  • Splitting the verb and the complement in simple resultative forms.

    我諗佢起。
    我諗起佢。

    In simple resultative or potential forms (like 'recall' or 'afford'), the complement 起 (hei2) must stay attached to the verb. The object follows the entire block.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

起Level 3Call to Mind / Bring Up

Learn This First

The 'recall' pattern uses the directional particle 起 (hei2) as a resultative complement to indicate that a thought or memory has 'surfaced' or been 'raised' into the mind. Learners should first understand basic resultative verb compounds and the literal directional use of 起 (meaning 'upward') before applying it to abstract mental actions like remembering.

Words in This Pattern

起