人烟 (rén yān) — signs of human habitation; inhabited area (often used negatively)
Definition
Literally 'human smoke' — a literary noun referring to signs of human habitation (smoke from hearths). Almost always appears in negative or scarcity contexts like 人烟稀少 or 没有人烟.
noun
signs of human habitationinhabited area (often used negatively)
Examples
- 人烟，。Zhè ge dì fāng méi yǒu rén yān, fēi cháng huāng liáng.This place has no signs of habitation; it's very desolate.
- ，人烟。Cūn zi suī xiǎo, dàn rén yān bù shǎo.Although the village is small, it is quite populated.
- 人烟，。Guò qù zhè lǐ rén yān xī shǎo, xiàn zài rè nao duō le.In the past this place was sparsely populated; now it's much livelier.
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