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光火 (guāng huǒ) — anger

Definition

光火 (guānghuǒ) means 'anger' but is more literary/written than everyday words like 生气; it implies a sudden, intense flare-up, like 'fury' rather than mild annoyance.

noun
anger

Examples

  • 光火。
    Tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le guāng huǒ.
    His heart was filled with anger.
  • 光火。
    Zhè zhǒng guāng huǒ nán yǐ píng xī.
    This kind of anger is hard to calm.
  • 光火。
    Tā yā yì zhe nèi xīn de guāng huǒ.
    She suppressed the anger inside.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Open 火 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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