点火 (diǎn huǒ) — to ignite, to light a fire; to start an engine; figuratively to stir up trouble or provoke conflict
Definition
点 (set/pick) + 火 (fire): a transitive verb meaning someone deliberately ignites a fire or engine, or figuratively stirs conflict. Pairs with 着火 (spontaneous catching fire) and 点燃 (more literary for ignition or arousing passion).
verb
to igniteto light a fireto start an enginefiguratively to stir up trouble or provoke conflict
Examples
- 点火。Tā yòng dǎ huǒ jī diǎn huǒ le gōu huǒ.He used a lighter to ignite a campfire.
- ，。Chē zi zǎo shàng hěn nán diǎn huǒ, kě néng shì diàn chí méi diàn le.The car is hard to start in the morning; maybe the battery is dead.
- ，。Tā gù yì zài huì yì shàng diǎn le yì bǎ huǒ, ràng dà jiā zhēng lùn bù xiū.He deliberately stirred up trouble at the meeting, causing everyone to argue endlessly.
Appears in
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