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放火 (fàng huǒ) — to set fire; to commit arson; (figurative) to create disturbance; to stir up trouble

Definition

A literal compound meaning 'to set fire / commit arson' (放 + 火). The figurative sense ('stir up trouble') is less common and roughly parallels 捣乱, but for learners the core sense is the criminal act of arson.

verb
to set fireto commit arson(figurative) to create disturbanceto stir up trouble

Examples

  • 放火。
    Tā yīn wèi fàng huǒ bèi jǐng chá zhuā zǒu le.
    He was arrested by the police for arson.
  • 。
    Nà ge huài rén zài gōng chǎng fàng le yì bǎ huǒ.
    That villain set a fire in the factory.
  • 放火。
    Nǐ zài tuán duì lǐ fàng huǒ zhī huì ràng dà jiā dōu bù kāi xīn.
    Stirring up trouble in the team will only make everyone unhappy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

放fàngrelease
火huǒfire

放 release and 火 fire combine to mean set fire.

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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