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火势 (huǒ shì) — condition of a fire; intensity of a fire

Definition

noun
condition of a fireintensity of a fire

Examples

  • 火势。
    huǒ shì Hěn kuài jiù bèi kòng zhì zhù le.
    The fire was quickly brought under control.
  • ，火势。
    Yóu yú fēng dà, huǒ shì yuè lái yuè měng.
    Because of strong winds, the fire grew fiercer.
  • 火势。
    Xiāo fáng yuán zhèng zài nǔ lì pū miè huǒ shì.
    Firefighters are working hard to extinguish the fire.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

火huǒfire
势shìsituation/momentum

火 (fire) specifies what 势 (situation/momentum) is about, giving the condition or intensity of a fire.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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