About
The character for "to burn", now commonly written as 烧, originated from its traditional form 燒, which combines the fire radical (火) with the component 堯, an ancient character representing a high elevation or a lofty person. This structure semantically suggests the action of applying fire to elevate or transform a substance, such as in cooking ceramics or through sacrificial rites. Over time, its core meaning of applying fire broadened from purely physical combustion to encompass abstract applications, including the feverish heat of illness and the inflamed state of excitement or anger. The phonetic role of the 堯 component has remained consistent, while the character’s conceptual scope expanded from a specific physical act to include these more figurative states of intense heat or passion.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈正在烧饭。
他有点发烧。
我们烧了树叶。
烧菜要小心。
大火烧毁了房屋。
发烧时不要吃辣。
这种陶瓷烧制温度很高。
烧煤会产生大量污染。