燃气 (rán qì) — gas (as fuel, e.g. natural gas, coal gas, metha… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

燃气 is combustible gas used as fuel for cooking and heating. Narrower than 气体 (any gas) and more specific than 燃料 (any fuel); 煤气 is just one type of 燃气.

noun

gas (as fuel, e.g. natural gas, coal gas, methane)

Examples

燃气。
Zhè ge xiǎo qū yǐ jīng tōng le rán qì guǎn dào.
This residential area has already had gas pipes installed.
燃气。
Shǐ yòng rán qì zuò fàn bǐ yòng diàn pián yi.
Cooking with gas is cheaper than using electricity.
燃气，。
Qǐng dìng qī jiǎn chá rán qì shè bèi, què bǎo ān quán.
Please regularly check gas equipment to ensure safety.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

燃 gives the sense of burning, and 气 means gas; together they name gas used as fuel.

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.

火然燃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

然

然rán燃rán

Same sound today

燃 adds 火 (fire) to 然 to write “burn”; 然 supplied the sound, and 火 was added to make the fire meaning clear.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Energy & Power

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.