Chinese word

抽烟

Pronunciation

Pinyinchōu yān

Meaning

  • verbsmoke

Example

他每天都在楼下抽烟。tā měi tiān dōu zài lóu xià chōu yān

He smokes downstairs every day.

Illustration for 抽烟 (smoke)

More examples

很多年轻人因为压力开始抽烟。hěn duō nián qīng rén yīn wèi yā lì kāi shǐ chōu yān

Many young people start smoking because of stress.

Core concept

A person pulls a stream of tobacco smoke into the mouth or lungs, using the mouth alone or a smoking tool.

Common phrases

  • 开始抽烟kāi shǐ chōu yān

    start smoking

  • 抽烟的朋友chōu yān de péng yǒu

    friends who smoke

Similar words

吸烟xī yān: Inhale tobacco smoke into the body through the mouth.
点烟diǎn yān: Light a cigarette so it is ready to smoke.
戒烟jiè yān: Stop smoking tobacco.

Definition in Chinese

用口或借助烟具将烟草等燃烧时产生的烟雾吸入体内的行为。yòng kǒu huò jiè zhù yān jù jiāng yān cǎo děng rán shāo shí chǎn shēng de yān wù xī rù tǐ nèi de xíng wéi

Word origin

抽 (chōu, "pull") + 烟 (yān, "smoke") presents smoking as pulling smoke from burning tobacco into the body.

Usage tips

  • English often uses smoke for both the act and the cloud produced by it, so the surrounding subject helps show which meaning is intended.

Opposites

Related words

  • 抽烟习惯chōu yān xí guànsmoking habitnoun
  • 抽烟者chōu yān zhěsmokernoun

Word lists with this word