---
title: "Qifa Meaning: 启发 (qǐfā) Means “inspiration”"
description: "启发 (traditional 啟發, qǐfā) means “inspiration; to inspire; to enlighten”. Hear its tones, see what 启 and 发 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/qifa"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 启发 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

启发 qǐfā

## inspiration; to inspire; to enlighten

## Its characters

1. 启 qǐ to enlighten (as in 启发)
2. 发 fā to send

## In a sentence

老师善于启发学生思考。 The teacher is good at inspiring students to think.

起源，有一个流传很广的传说：武当山上的道士张三丰看见一只鸟和一条蛇打斗，从中受到**启发**，创立了这套拳法。

From [太极拳是什么？ · What is tai chi?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-tai-chi#library-word-247-249)

[More about 启发](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%90%AF%E5%8F%91)

## More words with 启 or 发

- [爆发 bàofā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/baofa)
- [并发症 bìngfāzhèng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bingfazheng)
- [出发 chūfā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chufa)
- [发表 fābiǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabiao)
- [发病 fābìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabing)
- [发布 fābù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fabu)
- [发出 fāchū](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fachu)
- [发达 fādá](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fada)
- [发电 fādiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fadian)
- [发动 fādòng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fadong)

## Keep 启发 for Review

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