directional verbs and directional suffixes with figurative or idiomatic meaning
19.7
起來 qǐlái (directional suffix). In addition to its literal meaning ‘rise up,’ 起來 qǐlái conveys
the meaning ‘begin to do the action of the verb.’
唱起来 chàngqǐlai ‘begin to sing’
哭起来 kūqǐlái ‘begin to cry’
打起来 dǎqǐlái ‘begin to fight’V-起來 qǐlái can also serve on pairs of verbs to indicate contrast.
中国菜，吃起来很容易，做起来很难。
中國菜，吃起來很容易，做起來很難。
Zhōngguó cài, chīqǐlái hěn róngyì, zuòqǐlái hěn nán.
Chinese food is easy to eat but hard to cook.C 41