起航

qǐháng

verb #21,839

Meanings

1 to set sail
2 to take off (of a ship or airplane)
3 to depart

Characters

to rise; to start; to depart

to navigate; voyage; flight

Examples

船队明天早上六点起航。

Chuánduì míngtiān zǎoshang liù diǎn qǐháng.

The fleet sets sail at six o'clock tomorrow morning.

飞机将于下午两点起航。

Fēijī jiāng yú xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn qǐháng.

The plane will take off at two o'clock in the afternoon.

新的旅程即将起航，我们满怀期待。

Xīn de lǚchéng jíjiāng qǐháng, wǒmen mǎnhuái qīdài.

A new journey is about to begin, and we are full of anticipation.

Tips

usage

起航 can be used for both ships (setting sail) and aircraft (taking off), as CEDICT notes. It also appears metaphorically for embarking on a new venture or journey, similar to '扬帆起航' (to set sail with full sails — to set off on a great endeavor).

Stroke Order

起 qǐ

航 háng