tóu mèi ér qǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to shake one's sleeves and rise (idiom) / fig. to get excited and move to action
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-34825e8e702c66d9. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

投袂而起 投袂而起 [tou2 mei4 er2 qi3] /lit. to shake one's sleeves and rise (idiom)/fig. to get excited and move to action/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 投
    tóu

    to throw (sth in a specific direction: ball, javelin, grenade etc) / to cast (a ballot) / to cast (a glance, a shadow etc) / to put in (money for investment, a coin to operate a slot machine) / to send (a letter, a manuscript etc) / to throw oneself into (a river, a well etc to commit suicide) / to go to / to seek refuge / to place oneself into the hands of / (coll.) to rinse (clothes) in water

  • 袂
    mèi

    sleeve of a robe

  • 而
    ér

    and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)

  • 起
    qǐ

    to rise / to raise / to get up / to set out / to start / to appear / to launch / to initiate (action) / to draft / to establish / to get (from a depot or counter) / verb suffix, to start / starting from (a time, place, price etc) / classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance / classifier for groups: batch, group

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.