Chinese word

焚烧

Pronunciation

Pinyinfén shāo

Meaning

  • verbburn

Example

他在院子里把树枝焚烧了。tā zài yuàn zi lǐ bǎ shù zhī fén shāo le

He burned the branches in the yard.

Illustration for 焚烧 (burn)

More examples

警方发现有人在仓库里试图焚烧证据。jǐng fāng fā xiàn yǒu rén zài cāng kù lǐ shì tú fén shāo zhèng jù

The police discovered someone trying to burn evidence in a warehouse.

Core concept

Fire is used to make a thing disappear as part of a planned act of destruction or removal.

Common phrases

  • 焚烧证据fén shāo zhèng jù

    burn evidence

  • 焚烧废弃物fén shāo fèi qì wù

    incinerate waste

  • 焚烧医疗废物fén shāo yī liáo fèi wù

    incinerate medical waste

Similar words

烧shāo: Burning something with fire as a straightforward physical action.
烧掉shāo diào: Burning something until it is gone or removed.
燃烧rán shāo: Burning or being on fire while giving off heat.

Definition in Chinese

用火将物体焚毁，多指为清理、处置或仪式目的的燃烧行为。yòng huǒ jiāng wù tǐ fén huǐ duō zhǐ wèi qīng lǐ chǔ zhì huò yí shì mù dì de rán shāo xíng wéi

Word origin

焚烧 (fénshāo, "burn") combines 焚 (fén, "burn") and 烧 (shāo, "burn"), with the paired verbs emphasizing sustained burning until the object is gone.

Usage tips

  • Its formal register makes it common in official or factual descriptions of waste treatment and ceremonies, while casual conversation usually chooses a simpler everyday expression.

Other meanings

  • incinerateverb

Opposites

  • 掩埋yǎn máiburyverb

Related words

  • 焚烧场fén shāo chǎngincineration sitenoun
  • 焚烧炉fén shāo lúincineratornoun

Word lists with this word