硝烟 (xiāo yān) — smoke of gunpowder; (figurative) war, battlefie…

Definition

Literally 'smoke of gunpowder,' used literally on the battlefield and figuratively to mean war or armed conflict.

noun

smoke of gunpowder(figurative) warbattlefieldarmed conflict

，。
Zhàn chǎng shàng xiāo yān mí màn, jī hū kàn bù qīng qián fāng de lù.
The battlefield was filled with the smoke of gunpowder, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead.
硝烟，。
Jīng guò duō nián de xiāo yān, zhè ge guó jiā zhōng yú yíng lái le hé píng.
After years of war, this country finally ushered in peace.
硝烟，。
Nà chǎng tán pàn suī rán bú jiàn xiāo yān, dàn shuāng fāng de jiāo fēng tóng yàng jī liè.
Although that negotiation saw no smoke of gunpowder, the confrontation between the two sides was equally intense.

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.

硝xiāosaltpeter

硝 points to gunpowder or saltpeter, and 烟 is smoke, so the word names battlefield smoke.

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.

石肖硝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

Same sound today

硝 is built from 石, “stone,” and 肖, which provides the sound.

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 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

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