炽

熾

chì

只 + 火

Definitions

chì to burn; to blaze; splendid; illustrious

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 火 represents the meaning and 只 represents the sound. Simplified form of 熾.

Semantic: 火 Phonetic: 只

About

炽 (chì) is a phono-semantic compound, the simplified form of the traditional 熾. The semantic radical 火 (huǒ, 'fire') indicates the meaning of fire, heat, and combustion. The phonetic component 只 (zhǐ) gives the sound, a simpler replacement for the earlier 戠 (zhí). Literally, it refers to a blazing, roaring fire or extreme thermal energy. From this concrete image of a fierce conflagration, the character naturally extends to metaphorical use, describing fervent emotions, burning passions, ardent desires, and heated social or political atmospheres, often with a sense of overwhelming energy and intensity.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天的阳光很炽热。

Jīntiān de yángguāng hěn chìrè.

Today's sunlight is very blazing hot.

他对她的爱很炽热。

Tā duì tā de ài hěn chìrè.

His love for her is very passionate.

炉火炽热地燃烧着。

Lúhuǒ chìrè de ránshāo zhe.

The stove fire is burning fiercely.

夏天午后的阳光特别炽热。

Xiàtiān wǔhòu de yángguāng tèbié chìrè.

The sunlight in the summer afternoon is especially blazing.

尽管天气炽热，他们还是继续工作。

Jǐnguǎn tiānqì chìrè, tāmen háishì jìxù gōngzuò.

Although the weather is scorching, they still continue to work.

他的演讲充满了炽热的激情。

Tā de yǎnjiǎng chōngmǎn le chìrè de jīqíng.

His speech is full of fiery passion.

在炽热的沙漠气候里，动植物演化出独特的生存方式。

Zài chìrè de shāmò qìhòu lǐ, dòngzhí wù yǎnhuà chū dútè de shēngcún fāngshì.

In the blazing desert climate, animals and plants have evolved unique ways of survival.

当炽热的岩浆从火山口喷发时，景象既壮观又可怕。

Dāng chìrè de yánjiāng cóng huǒshānkǒu pēnfā shí, jǐngxiàng jì zhuàngguān yòu kěpà.

When the blazing magma erupts from the volcano, the scene is both spectacular and terrifying.

Related Characters

Component: 只

Component: 火

炽