Meanings of 燎
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About 燎
Podcast: 燎
Podcast: 燎
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AI Study Notes for 燎
燃 (rán) - use 燎 for more intense or uncontrolled burning, while 燃 is for general burning or combustion.
Beware of using 燎 in overly formal contexts, as it can sound quite intense. It is often used in everyday conversation about fire, but might not be suitable for technical discussions about fire safety. Common collocations include 燎原 (liáoyuán), meaning to spread like fire.
Although 燎 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects with other fire-related words such as 火 (huǒ - fire) and 燃 (rán - to burn). Students should focus on recognizing the fire radical and understanding its usage in various contexts.
Learners often confuse 燎 with similar characters like 烧 (shāo - to burn) or 燃 (rán - to ignite), which have different nuances. For example, using 燎 to describe cooking might be incorrect; it's better to use 烧 in that context.
Pronunciation of 燎
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Etymology of 燎
Phonosemantic compound. 火 represents the meaning and 尞 represents the sound.
fire
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 燎
Phonosemantic compound. 火 represents the meaning and 尞 represents the sound.
- 1The meaning half火 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half尞 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawayfire
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 燎? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 燎
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How to say to burn, to light; street lamp; signal fire in Chinese
“to burn, to light; street lamp; signal fire” in Chinese is燎
The character 燎 (liáo) refers to the act of burning or lighting something, often in a more intense or uncontrolled manner. It can also denote a signal fire or a street lamp. This character is commonly used in contexts related to fire, such as cooking, signaling, or even describing the effects of a fire on an object.
When to use 燎
Beware of using 燎 in overly formal contexts, as it can sound quite intense. It is often used in everyday conversation about fire, but might not be suitable for technical discussions about fire safety. Common collocations include 燎原 (liáoyuán), meaning to spread like fire.
燎 or something close to it
燃 (rán) - use 燎 for more intense or uncontrolled burning, while 燃 is for general burning or combustion.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 燎 with similar characters like 烧 (shāo - to burn) or 燃 (rán - to ignite), which have different nuances. For example, using 燎 to describe cooking might be incorrect; it's better to use 烧 in that context.
Write 燎
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Practice writing 燎 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Grammar Patterns of 燎
燎 carries 3 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.
Complete the Sentence
他点烟时把头发给____了。
He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette.
Example Sentences for 燎 (2)
Word Family of 燎
Compound Meaning
What does 燎原 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 燎
In everyday conversation, 燎 usually refers to burning or lighting something, like starting a fire or using a street lamp.
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