Chinese word

起程

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐ chéng

Meaning

  • verbset off

Example

我们明天早上起程去北京。wǒ men míng tiān zǎo shàng qǐ chéng qù běi jīng

We will set off for Beijing tomorrow morning.

Illustration for 起程 (set off)

More examples

航班延误，预计下午三点才起程。háng bān yán wù yù jì xià wǔ sān diǎn cái qǐ chéng

The flight is delayed and is not expected to set off until 3 p.m.

Core concept

The first forward movement of a trip, when a planned journey becomes underway.

Common phrases

  • 从北京起程cóng běi jīng qǐ chéng

    set off from Beijing

  • 准时起程zhǔn shí qǐ chéng

    set off on time

  • 按计划起程àn jì huà qǐ chéng

    set off as planned

Similar words

出发chū fā: Start traveling from a place toward a destination.
启程qǐ chéng: Begin a journey in formal or official language.
动身dòng shēn: Move away from the current place to start traveling.

Definition in Chinese

离开出发地，开始前往目的地的旅程。lí kāi chū fā dì kāi shǐ qián wǎng mù dì dì de lǚ chéng

Word origin

起程 (qǐchéng, "begin a journey") combines 起 (qǐ, "to begin") with 程 (chéng, "a journey or route"), presenting travel as movement that enters its course.

Usage tips

  • 起程 (qǐchéng, "set off") sounds more formal than 出发 (chūfā, "leave") in everyday conversation, so it is more natural in travel writing or a planned itinerary than in casual talk.

Opposites

Word lists with this word