HSK · Level 9
135 words
Chinese word
烟
Pronunciation
Pinyinyān
Meaning
- nounsmoke
Example
房间里有烟，很危险。fáng jiān lǐ yǒu yān hěn wēi xiǎn
There is smoke in the room, and it is very dangerous.
More examples
客厅里有烟味，大家都觉得不舒服。kè tīng lǐ yǒu yān wèi dà jiā dōu jué de bù shū fú
The living room smells of cigarettes, and everyone feels uncomfortable.
Core concept
A drifting cloud released by burning, also used for the tobacco item that produces such a cloud.
Common phrases
一根烟yì gēn yān
cigarette
烟头yān tóu
cigarette butt
烟味yān wèi
smell of cigarettes
Similar words
香烟xiāng yān: A single paper-wrapped tobacco product made for smoking.
烟雾yān wù: A pale haze that comes from fire or chemical reactions and spreads through the air.
烟头yān tóu: The remaining end left after a tobacco product has been smoked.
Definition in Chinese
从燃烧的物体中产生并上升到空气中的细小气体和微粒，常见于火、香或烟草燃烧时。cóng rán shāo de wù tǐ zhōng chǎn shēng bìng shàng shēng dào kōng qì zhōng de xì xiǎo qì tǐ hé wēi lì cháng jiàn yú huǒ xiāng huò yān cǎo rán shāo shí
Word origin
烟 (yān, "smoke") is the simplified form of 煙 (yān, "smoke"), whose 火 (huǒ, "fire") component links the character to burning while the remaining part mainly indicates pronunciation.
Usage tips
- English uses smoke as a verb, but Chinese normally expresses the action with a separate verb and uses this word as its object.