火警 (huǒ jǐng) — fire alarm

Definition

noun
fire alarm
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 火警,。
    Tū rán huǒ jǐng xiǎng le, dà jiā gǎn kuài wǎng wài pǎo.
    The fire alarm suddenly went off, and everyone hurried outside.
  • 火警。
    Zhè zuò dà lóu de huǒ jǐng xì tǒng měi gè yuè jiǎn chá yí cì.
    The fire alarm system in this building is checked once a month.
  • 火警。
    Xué xiào měi nián dōu huì jìn xíng huǒ jǐng yǎn xí.
    The school conducts a fire alarm drill every year.

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 identifies the alarm as about fire and 警 is the warning.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspoken language, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
敬
Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →
Appears in

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.