---
title: "verb + 起 + object + 来 (start doing) in Chinese Grammar: Start doing something (and keep at it), With Examples"
description: "verb + 起 + object + 来 (start doing): start doing something (and keep at it). Verb + 起 + object + 来: the action starts (and goes on) — 踢起球来 “started playing football”. 3 real lines from stories, each word explained."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/v-qi-o-lai"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese grammar](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar)

# verb + 起 + object + 来 (start doing)

Start doing something (and keep at it)

Verb + 起 + object + 来: the action starts (and goes on) — 踢起球来 “started playing football”.

## In stories

他七岁的时候，就跟大人一样懂事，特别喜欢看书，**看起书来**，连饭都忘了吃。

[司马光砸缸 · Sima Guang smashes the water jar](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/sima-guang-za-gang-sima-guang-smashes-the-jar#library-word-41-45) HSK 4

悟空现出本相，在他肚子里**打起筋斗来**，又是拳打，又是脚踢。

[黑熊精 · The Black Bear Demon](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-black-bear-demon-journey-to-the-west-advanced-chinese-14#library-word-845-850)

众僧**点起火来**，悟空便念起咒语，往下吹了一口气，一阵狂风刮起，那火越烧越旺，反倒烧向众僧的房屋。

[火烧观音院 · Fire at Guanyin Temple](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/fire-at-guanyin-temple-journey-to-the-west-advanced-chinese-13#library-word-756-760)

[Read 司马光砸缸](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/sima-guang-za-gang-sima-guang-smashes-the-jar#library-word-41-45)

## More patterns

- [去/来 + place + verb (go somewhere to do something) go somewhere to do something](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/qu-place-v)
- [从…开始/起 starting from …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/cong-kaishi)
- [越来越 + adjective more and more …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/yuelaiyue)
- [verb + 来 + verb + 去 do something over and over; back and forth](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/v-lai-v-qu)
- [听起来 sounds (like); it sounds …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/tingqilai)
- [看起来 looks (like); it seems](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/kanqilai)

## What does verb + 起 + object + 来 (start doing) mean in Chinese?

Start doing something (and keep at it). Verb + 起 + object + 来: the action starts (and goes on) — 踢起球来 “started playing football”.

## How common is verb + 起 + object + 来 (start doing)?

It comes up in 3 readings of the 392 stories and articles in our free Library.

## Does it correct my mistakes?

No. It shows which patterns a text uses and what each one does; it doesn’t mark errors. Paste a sentence you wrote to see whether it uses the pattern you meant.

## More free tools

- [Chinese dictionary](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dictionary)
- [Measure words](https://mandarinthewild.com/measure-words)
- [How hard is this text?](https://mandarinthewild.com/text-level)
- [Free Chinese stories](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

Patterns found by our own parser; lines from our free Library.