起来
Pattern
Verb / adjective + 起来
Key words
Core idea
起来 can follow a verb or adjective to show that an action or state begins.
It often means “start to...” or “begin to become...”
Compare with assessment
Another use of 起来 means “it seems when you do/experience it.” The inchoative use is about a state starting, not judging how something seems.
Usage boundary
Use this pattern when the sentence describes the beginning of a change, action, or state.
Examples
天气热起来了。
Tiānqì rè qǐlai le.
The weather started getting hot.
大家笑起来了。
Dàjiā xiào qǐlai le.
Everyone started laughing.
他最近忙起来了。
Tā zuìjìn máng qǐlai le.
He has recently started getting busy.
Common mistakes
Avoid
天气起来热了。
Use
天气热起来了。
起来 follows the verb or adjective whose state begins.
Seen in stories
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
小林把旧地图、复制碗和木鸟机关都摆起来了。
Xiao Lin has set up the old map, replica bowl, and wooden-bird mechanism.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
天色慢慢亮起来，玻璃柜里的影子也清楚起来。
The sky slowly starts to brighten, and the shadows in the glass cases become clearer.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
天色慢慢亮起来，玻璃柜里的影子也清楚起来。
The sky slowly starts to brighten, and the shadows in the glass cases become clearer.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
馆长说，展览不该只把答案放出来，还要让问题活起来。
The curator says the exhibit should not only show answers; it should make the questions come alive.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
第一位访客进门时，木鸟忽然动起来了。
When the first visitor enters, the wooden bird suddenly starts moving.
Show 7 more story examples
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
孩子们围过来，原本安静的展厅热闹起来。
Children gather around, and the originally quiet gallery becomes lively.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
小林站在角落，听见有人讨论起来：为什么地图挂反了？
Xiao Lin stands in the corner and hears people start discussing: why was the map hung upside down?
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
中午以前，连最小的展厅都排起队来。
Before noon, even the smallest gallery has a line forming.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
馆长笑着说，故事一旦被认真看见，博物馆就会亮起来。
The curator smiles and says once stories are truly noticed, a museum lights up.
The Four-Word Toast
大家先安安静静，后来一起笑起来。
Everyone is quiet at first, then they laugh together.
The Accidental Livestream
屏幕上明明写着“内部会议”，评论区却突然热闹起来。
The screen clearly said “internal meeting,” but the comment section suddenly became lively.
The Group Chat Apology
这件小事虽然麻烦，却让邻居们熟起来了。
Although the little incident was troublesome, it made the neighbors more familiar with one another.