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Verb / Adj + 起来 (start to …)
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The music starts
- At a party, the band plays a favourite song and the room comes alive.
- music音乐一响，everyone大家all / both都to jump跳(start to)起来(completed / change)了。 — "As soon as the music played, everyone started dancing."
Verb / Adj + (start to)起来 = start to, begin to
- Verb + (start to)起来 = an action starts and continues: to laugh笑(start to)起来, to cry哭(start to)起来, fall下(start)起rain雨(start)来.
- Adj + (start to)起来 = a state begins to develop: the weather天气hot热(start to)起来(completed / change)了, he / him他fat胖(start to)起来(completed / change)了.
the weather天气slowly慢慢hot热(start to)起来了。
Complete: “The baby suddenly started crying.” 宝宝突然哭____了。
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Verb + 起来 = start to.
With an object: split (start)起…(start)来
- The object goes between (start)起 and (start)来: fall下(start)起rain雨(start)来(completed / change)了。 — "It started to rain." to sing唱(start)起variant of 歌歌(start)来 — "start singing".
- Without an object: fall下(start to)起来(completed / change)了.
outside外面fall下(start)起rain雨(start)来了。
Build: “They started singing.”
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Verb + 起 + object + 来.
Object in the middle
- fall下(start)起rain雨(start)来, not fall下(start to)起来rain雨: the object sits between (start)起 and (start)来.
- Adj + (start to)起来 usually describes a change towards more: hot热(start to)起来, good好(start to)起来; "getting cold" is often cold冷fall下(start)来 / to let sth cool down凉to come down下来.
Which says “It started to snow”?
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The object goes between 起 and 来.
(start to)起来 versus (continue)下去
- (start to)起来 = start something new: they他们to chat聊(start to)起来(completed / change)了.
- (continue)下去 = continue something already going: please请speak说(continue)下去.
please请speak说(continue)下去。
请说下去 asks someone to start speaking.
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下去 = continue; starting is 起来.
Recap
- Verb / Adj + (start to)起来 = start to, begin to (to laugh笑(start to)起来, hot热(start to)起来).
- Object goes between: fall下(start)起rain雨(start)来; (continue)下去 = continue.
Read the full reference: HSK 4 grammar — Complements.
At a party, the band plays a favourite song and the room comes alive. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.