Chinese word

吸烟

Pronunciation

Pinyinxī yān

Meaning

  • verbsmoke

Example

他已经不吸烟了。tā yǐ jīng bù xī yān le

He no longer smokes.

Illustration for 吸烟 (smoke)

More examples

他经常吸烟，所以嗓子不舒服。tā jīng cháng xī yān suó yǐ sǎng zi bù shū fú

He often smokes, so his throat feels uncomfortable.

Core concept

Turns burning tobacco smoke from something outside the body into something taken inside.

Common phrases

  • 经常吸烟jīng cháng xī yān

    smoke often

  • 有人在吸烟yǒu rén zài xī yān

    someone is smoking

Similar words

抽烟chōu yān: To smoke tobacco by pulling its smoke into the body through the mouth.
吸xī: To pull air, smoke, or liquid inward through the mouth.

Definition in Chinese

用口吸入由燃烧产生的烟雾，指吸食香烟或其他烟草制品的行为。yòng kǒu xī rù yóu rán shāo chǎn shēng de yān wù zhǐ xī shí xiāng yān huò qí tā yān cǎo zhì pǐn de xíng wéi

Word origin

吸 (xī, "inhale") + 烟 (yān, "smoke") creates a transparent compound whose parts describe taking smoke into the body.

Usage tips

  • The word frequently appears on public signs and in regulations, so recognizing it helps with everyday notices about where smoking is allowed or forbidden.

Other meanings

  • smokingnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 吸烟习惯xī yān xí guànsmoking habitnoun
  • 吸烟率xī yān lǜsmoking ratenoun

Word lists with this word