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冒烟 (mào yān) — to emit smoke, to smoke; (colloquial) to get angry, to flare up

Definition

Literally means smoke is rising from something — used for engines, fires, cigarettes, and similar. Colloquially, it describes a person 'fuming' or about to explode with anger.

verb
to emit smoketo smoke(colloquial) to get angryto flare up

Examples

  • 冒烟。
    Nà liàng jiù chē yì zhí zài mào yān.
    That old car has been smoking all along.
  • ，。
    Fā dòng jī mào le yān, wǒ men gǎn jǐn tíng chē jiǎn chá.
    The engine emitted smoke, so we quickly stopped the car to check.
  • 冒烟，。
    Lǎo bǎn jīn tiān yì zhí zài mào yān, dà jiā shuō huà dōu xiǎo xīn yì yì de.
    The boss has been fuming all day, so everyone is speaking very cautiously.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

冒màoemit
烟yānsmoke

冒 expresses emitting, and 烟 is the smoke that comes out.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeyes
Sound part声符shēngfú
冃
冃mào冒mào
Same sound today

冒 was built from 冃, a hat used for the sound, plus 目, eyes, as the meaning part.

Open 冒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
垔
垔yīn煙yān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

Open 烟 →
Appears in
Environment & EcologyEmotions & Feelings

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