Chinese word

电灯

Pronunciation

Pinyindiàn dēng

Meaning

  • nounelectric light

Example

晚上街上的电灯都亮了。wǎn shàng jiē shàng de diàn dēng dōu liàng le

At night, all the electric lights on the street came on.

Illustration for 电灯 (electric light)

More examples

请把电灯关了。qǐng bǎ diàn dēng guān le

Please turn off the light.

Core concept

A light-making fixture that uses electricity to brighten a room, building, or outdoor space.

Common phrases

  • 开电灯kāi diàn dēng

    turn on the light

  • 关电灯guān diàn dēng

    turn off the light

  • 电灯泡diàn dēng pào

    electric light bulb

  • 电灯开关diàn dēng kāi guān

    electric light switch

Similar words

灯泡dēng pào: The glass or plastic part of a light that produces light when electricity passes through it.
台灯tái dēng: A small lighting fixture placed on a desk or beside a bed to light a nearby area.
灯dēng: A general word for something that gives light, whether as a device or as the light itself.

Definition in Chinese

通过电能发出光线以照亮环境的器具，泛指台灯、吊灯、吸顶灯等各种电气照明。tōng guò diàn néng fā chū guāng xiàn yǐ zhào liàng huán jìng de qì jù fàn zhǐ tái dēng diào dēng xī dǐng dēng děng gè zhǒng diàn qì zhào míng

Word origin

电 (diàn, "electricity") + 灯 (dēng, "lamp") combines the power source with the familiar object that gives light.

Usage tips

  • English often separates the fixture from the light it gives off, while Chinese commonly uses this word for the physical fixture when the context makes its type clear.

Other meanings

  • streetlightnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 电灯泡diàn dēng pàoelectric light bulbnoun
  • 电灯开关diàn dēng kāi guānelectric light switchnoun

Word lists with this word