Chinese word

起飞

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐ fēi

Meaning

  • verbtake off

Example

飞机将在十分钟后起飞。fēi jī jiāng zài shí fēn zhōng hòu qǐ fēi

The plane will take off in ten minutes.

Illustration for 起飞 (take off)

More examples

航班因为天气原因晚点，还没有起飞。háng bān yīn wèi tiān qì yuán yīn wán diǎn hái méi yǒu qǐ fēi

The flight is late because of the weather and has not taken off yet.

Core concept

The moment an aircraft or rocket leaves a runway or launch pad and begins moving through the air.

Common phrases

  • 飞机起飞fēi jī qǐ fēi

    plane takes off

  • 航班起飞háng bān qǐ fēi

    flight takes off

Similar words

飞fēi: Move through the air by flying.
出发chū fā: Begin a journey or activity by setting out from a place.
离开lí kāi: Go away from a place or person.

Definition in Chinese

指飞机或火箭等由跑道或发射台脱离地面进入空中的过程，侧重于从接触点分离的动作。zhǐ fēi jī huò huǒ jiàn děng yóu pǎo dào huò fā shè tái tuō lí dì miàn jìn rù kōng zhōng de guò chéng cè zhòng yú cóng jiē chù diǎn fēn lí de dòng zuò

Word origin

起 (qǐ, "rise") marks upward movement, and 飞 (fēi, "fly") identifies the movement as flight, so the compound centers on entering the air.

Usage tips

  • A flight schedule may use 起飞 (qǐfēi, "take off") with a clock time or a phrase such as "in ten minutes," making it useful at airports.

Other meanings

  • take flightverb
  • takeoffnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 起飞时间qǐ fēi shí jiāntakeoff timenoun

Word lists with this word