引起
yǐnqǐ · HSK 4
give rise to
🎣 引 = pull/draw + 起 = rise; pull something into rising = give rise to
引 shows a bow 弓 with a vertical line — drawing the string. 起 means to rise or start. Together: to draw/pull something into starting, i.e. cause or elicit.
引 — bow 弓 + vertical stroke 丨
A compound ideograph showing a bow 弓 with a vertical line 丨 representing the drawn bowstring. The original meaning was 'to draw a bow,' which extended to 'pull,' 'lead,' 'guide,' and 'cite.' The vertical stroke depicts the action of pulling the string back.
起 — 走 (run) + 己 (self/phonetic)
起 combines 走 'run/walk' as the meaning component with 己 as the phonetic component. The 走 element suggests movement of the body, giving the core sense of rising up or starting to move. From there it extended to meanings like 'get up,' 'begin,' and 'arise.'