Today’s word of the day is 起 (qǐ) which means ‘to rise’. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 起 (qǐ).
看得起 (kàn de qǐ) To think highly of
The first phrase is 看得起 (kàn de qǐ) which means ‘to think highly of’. A way of using it in a sentence is 人一定要自己看得起自己。(Rén yīdìng yào zìjǐ kàndeqǐ zìjǐ.) One must think highly of oneself. You can also negate 看得起 (kàn de qǐ) by changing 得 to 不 (bù) no to form 看不起 (kàn bù qǐ) to look down on.
对得起 (duì de qǐ) To be worthy of
Another phrase we can create with 起 (qǐ) is 对得起 (duì de qǐ). This means ‘to be worthy of’. A very common phrase you may hear in the very filial Chinese society is 你对得起你的父母吗? (Nǐ duìdeqǐ nǐ de fùmǔ ma?) Are you worthy enough for your parents? This is normally said to someone who has done something that is very bad and may have let others down. Again, you can negate 对得起 (duì de qǐ) with 不 (bù) to form 对不起 (duì bu qǐ) sorry.
了不起 (liǎo bu qǐ) Amazing
Finally, we can create the phrase 了不起 (liǎo bu qǐ) which means ‘amazing’. A way of using it in a sentence is 你真了不起！ (Nǐ zhēn liǎobuqǐ!) You are amazing.