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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.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

点diǎnlight
火huǒfire

点 means to light, and 火 is fire, so 点火 literally means to light a 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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