Chinese word

上火

Pronunciation

Pinyinshàng huǒ

Meaning

  • verbget overheated

Example

我最近压力大，容易上火。wǒ zuì jìn yā lì dà róng yì shàng huǒ

I've been under a lot of stress lately, so I easily get overheated.

Illustration for 上火 (get overheated)

More examples

吃太多炸鸡后我上火，嘴唇起了溃疡。chī tài duō zhá jī hòu wǒ shàng huǒ zuǐ chún qǐ le kuì yáng

After eating too much fried chicken, I became overheated and developed an ulcer on my lip.

Core concept

Inner heat reaching the surface, where it appears as dryness, soreness, flushing, spots, or irritability.

Common phrases

  • 经常熬夜会上火jīng cháng áo yè huì shàng huǒ

    often become overheated from staying up late

  • 吃太多辣会上火chī tài duō là huì shàng huǒ

    become overheated from eating too much spicy food

  • 压力大容易上火yā lì dà róng yì shàng huǒ

    easily become overheated when stressed

Similar words

发烧fā shāo: Run a high fever because body temperature has risen.
发热fā rè: Have a raised body temperature and feel feverish.
生病shēng bìng: Get sick and feel physically unwell.
发炎fā yán: Develop inflammation in a body part that becomes red, swollen, and sore.

Definition in Chinese

指因体内失衡、饮食或情绪等原因而在体内产生或加重“热”的状态，表现为口干、咽痛、口腔溃疡、长痘、烦躁等不适。zhǐ yīn tǐ nèi shī héng yǐn shí huò qíng xù děng yuán yīn ér zài tǐ nèi chǎn shēng huò jiā zhòng rè de zhuàng tài biǎo xiàn wèi kǒu gàn yàn tòng kǒu qiāng kuì yáng zhǎng dòu fán zào děng bú shì

Word origin

The everyday word 上火 (shànghuǒ, "get overheated") is built from 上 (shàng, "up") and 火 (huǒ, "fire"), a compact image of inner heat moving upward.

Usage tips

  • In casual conversation, the word works as a broad description of feeling unwell, whereas formal medical writing uses more specific symptom or diagnosis terms.

Other meanings

  • internal heatnoun
  • flushingnoun
  • become flushedverb

Opposites

  • 清热qīng rèclear internal heatverb
  • 降火jiàng huǒlower internal heatverb

Word lists with this word