V+起（趨向）

Verb + Up Off

Level 2Sounds Like hei2

The directional complement 起 (hei2) follows an action verb to express upward physical movement, specifically lifting, raising, or picking an object up off a resting surface.

How It Works

Understanding V + 起 (hei2)

In Cantonese, the post-verbal particle 起 (hei2) acts as a directional complement. It indicates that an object undergoes an upward displacement, detaching or lifting off a resting surface into the air.

1. Basic Sentence Structure
To describe lifting or raising an object, place 起 (hei2) directly after the action verb, before the object noun phrase:

  • Verb + 起 (hei2) + Object

Examples:

  • 拎起本書 (ling1 hei2 bun2 syu1) — Pick up the book
  • 舉起隻手 (geoi2 hei2 zek3 sau2) — Raise your hand
  • 掛起件衫 (gwaa3 hei2 gin6 saam1) — Hang up the shirt

2. Combining with Aspect Markers
When describing a completed action, the perfective aspect marker 咗 (zo2) attaches immediately after 起 (hei2):

  • Verb + 起 (hei2) + 咗 (zo2) + Object
  • 佢哋抬起咗個好重嘅箱 (keoi5 dei6 toi4 hei2 zo2 go3 hou2 zung6 ge3 soeng1) — They lifted up the heavy box

3. Key Distinctions to Keep in Mind

  • Bare 起 vs Spatial Direction: Bare 起 (hei2) focuses purely on lifting or detaching off a resting surface. To express physical motion moving upward towards the speaker, use 上 or 上嚟 (soeng5 lei4) instead of 起嚟 (hei2 lei4). Post-verbal 起嚟 (hei2 lei4) is primarily used for inchoative aspect ('start to V') or evaluative complements (such as 睇起嚟 / tai2 hei2 lei4 - 'it looks like').
  • 起 vs V + 上: 上 (soeng5) focuses on moving onto a higher plane, whereas 起 (hei2) focuses on lifting or detaching off a resting surface.
  • Opposite Direction: The direct opposite of 起 (hei2) is 低 (dai1) ('down onto a surface'), e.g., 放低 (fong3 dai1, 'put down').
  • Starting an Action: To mark the sudden onset of an action ('start V-ing'), Cantonese uses 起上嚟 (hei2 soeng5 lei4) (e.g., 喊起上嚟, 'burst out crying').

Examples (4)

  1. 佢拎起本書。

    He picked up the book.

    Word by Word: He pick up classifier book.

    拎 (ling1, 'pick up') combines with 起 (hei2) to express lifting the book off the table.

  2. 請你幫我掛起件衫。

    Please help me hang up the shirt.

    Word by Word: Please you help me hang up classifier shirt.

    掛 (gwaa3, 'hang') + 起 (hei2) shows raising the shirt onto a hook or rack.

  3. 學生舉起隻手問問題。

    The student raised their hand to ask a question.

    Word by Word: Student raise up classifier hand ask question.

    舉 (geoi2, 'raise') + 起 (hei2) expresses moving a hand upward into the air.

  4. 佢哋抬起咗個好重嘅箱。

    They lifted up the heavy box.

    Word by Word: They lift-together up perfective classifier very heavy possessive box.

    抬 (toi4, 'lift together') + 起 (hei2) + 咗 (zo2) indicates a completed lifting motion. Note that 好重 (very heavy) takes 嘅 (ge3) when modifying a noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the object after 起嚟 when picking something up.

    佢拎起嚟本書。
    佢拎起本書。 / 佢拎本書上嚟。

    起嚟 (hei2 lei4) after 拎 can also describe real lifting, so 拎起嚟 is natural. The problem in the WRONG sentence is word order: with an object, say 佢拎起本書 for plain lifting, or put the object before the direction word, as in 佢拎本書上嚟.

  • Placing the direct object between the verb and 起

    佢拎本書起。
    佢拎起本書。

    The object noun phrase must follow the Verb + 起 compound, not be inserted inside or placed before 起.

  • Using bare 起 to express the start of an action ('start V-ing')

    佢突然喊起。
    佢突然喊起上嚟。

    Bare 起 (hei2) does not express inchoative aspect ('start doing'). To express starting an action, use the expanded pattern 起上嚟 (hei2 soeng5 lei4).

How It Connects

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

V+起（趨向）Level 2Verb + Up Off

Learn This First

To understand V+起 (upward), you need to be familiar with the concept of verbal particles in Cantonese, which follow a verb to indicate the direction or result of an action. It is also helpful to understand basic directional markers and related 'upward' complements to distinguish when to use '起' for lifting or raising actions.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

起