Chinese word

烟火

Pronunciation

Pinyinyān huǒ

Meaning

  • nounfireworks

Example

孩子们最喜欢看烟火。hái zi men zuì xǐ huān kàn yān huǒ

The children like watching fireworks the most.

Illustration for 烟火 (fireworks)

More examples

节日期间，很多地方禁止燃放烟火。jié rì qī jiān hěn duō dì fāng jìn zhǐ rán fàng yān huǒ

During festivals, many places prohibit setting off fireworks.

Core concept

Fire rising into the sky as a short-lived spectacle, with smoke and fire also suggesting a lived-in place.

Common phrases

  • 放烟火fàng yān huǒ

    set off fireworks

  • 观赏烟火guān shǎng yān huǒ

    watch fireworks

  • 烟火晚会yān huǒ wǎn huì

    fireworks show

  • 禁止燃放烟火jìn zhǐ rán fàng yān huǒ

    ban setting off fireworks

Similar words

烟花yān huā: Sky-launched fireworks that bloom into changing colors and shapes overhead.
爆竹bào zhú: Small tubular firecrackers used at celebrations for their loud popping sounds.

Definition in Chinese

泛指用于庆祝或观赏的焰火器材或其表演，既可指临时燃放的表演也可指单个烟火装置。fàn zhǐ yòng yú qìng zhù huò guān shǎng de yàn huǒ qì cái huò qí biáo yǎn jì kě zhǐ lín shí rán fàng de biáo yǎn yě kě zhǐ dān gè yān huǒ zhuāng zhì

Word origin

烟 (yān, "smoke") and 火 (huǒ, "fire") combine into a literal smoke-and-fire image that covers both festive pyrotechnics and the smoke of people living around a fire.

Usage tips

  • Context separates the festive sense from the habitation sense: words about watching or launching point to the sky, while words about homes or daily life point to people living in a place.

Other meanings

  • smoke and firenoun
  • human habitationnoun

Related words

  • 烟火表演yān huǒ biáo yǎnfireworks performancenoun

Word lists with this word