纵火 (zòng huǒ) — to commit arson; to set fire (to something) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A legal/formal term meaning 'to commit arson' — sets fire deliberately, usually to property. Treated as a crime, so it appears in news and judicial contexts rather than everyday speech.

verb

to commit arsonto set fire (to something)

Examples

，。
Tā zòng guò yí cì huǒ, bèi pàn le sān nián.
He set a fire once and was sentenced to three years.
纵火。
Jǐng fāng zhèng zài diào chá zhè qǐ zòng huǒ àn.
The police are investigating this arson case.
纵火。
Tā yīn wèi zòng huǒ bèi zhuā jìn le jiān yù.
He was sent to prison for arson.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

纵zòngrelease

纵 means release and 火 is fire, so 纵火 is releasing fire onto something.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 縱; 纵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

從

從cóng縱zòng

Same sound today

The traditional form 縱 pairs the 糸 part with 從 as a sound part; the simplified 纵 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

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.

Appears in

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