About
The character for "candle", now commonly written as 烛, originated from its traditional form 燭, which is composed of the fire radical (火) on the left and the component 蜀 on the right, the latter historically serving a phonetic function while also carrying an associative meaning related to a silkworm, perhaps evoking the image of a caterpillar-like wick. Its core meaning has consistently been associated with an implement for providing light, specifically a torch or candle, derived directly from the essential element of fire. Over time, while the fundamental meaning remained anchored to a source of illumination, its application broadened from referring primarily to handheld torches to encompassing enclosed candles and later, by metaphorical extension, any bright, illuminating object. The simplified form 烛 replaced the complex 蜀 with 虫, another character meaning insect, a change that altered the phonetic element but preserved the iconic fire radical, thus maintaining the character's conceptual link to its luminous function.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
点燃那支蜡烛。
烛光下的晚餐很浪漫。
她喜欢在烛台旁看书。
烛芯需要剪短一些。
微弱的烛光勉强照亮房间。
他的生命如风中之烛。
烛影摇红，映照着她的脸庞。
这支蜡烛将烛照我们前进的道路。