The Chinese word **战火** (zhànhuǒ, meaning "flames of war" or "warfare") is a **metaphorical compound** formed by combining the character **战** (zhàn), meaning "war" or "battle," with **火** (huǒ), meaning "fire." It does not refer to literal fire but uses "fire" as a powerful metaphor for the destruction, violence, chaos, and pervasive danger characteristic of armed conflict. This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where two concrete nouns are joined to create a vivid, abstract concept—in this case, evoking the image of war spreading and consuming like a devastating blaze.