炽 (chì) — (bound form) blazing, fiercely hot
Definition
A literary bound form meaning 'blazing, fiercely hot' — used only as the first character in compounds like 炽热 and 炽烈, not alone.
bound form
blazingfiercely hot
Examples
- 。Xià tiān de tài yáng chì rè dé ràng rén shòu bù liǎo.The summer sun is so blazing hot it's unbearable.
- 。Zhè chǎng dà huǒ shāo dé chì liè wú bǐ.This fire burned with incomparable fierceness.
- 炽。Tā xīn zhōng chì shèng de ài yì cóng wèi xiāo tuì.The blazing love in his heart has never faded.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 熾; 炽 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí熾chì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 熾 pairs 火, fire, with 戠 for the sound; the simplified 炽 is a later shorthand.
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