起飞
qǐfēi · HSK 2
take off (of planes/etc.)
✈️ 起 = rise + 飞 = fly → rise-and-fly = take off
起 means to rise or get up (as in 起床 get out of bed); 飞 means to fly. Together: rise-up-and-fly, i.e. an aircraft leaving the ground. Also used figuratively for a career or project taking off.
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.'
飞 — pictograph of a bird in flight (wings + body)
飞 is a pictograph originally depicting a bird soaring with outstretched wings, with the upper stroke suggesting the head and the curved strokes representing wings and tail. The traditional form 飛 shows the wings more clearly; 飞 is the simplified version retaining just one wing-like element. Its core meaning 'to fly' has stayed stable throughout history.