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禁烟 (jìn yān) — to ban smoking; (historical) to ban opium

Definition

禁烟 literally bans 烟 (smoke/tobacco/opium). Modern usage = 'ban smoking' (in public places); the historical sense refers to anti-opium campaigns like 虎门销烟.

verb
to ban smoking(historical) to ban opium

Examples

  • 禁烟。
    Hěn duō chéng shì yǐ jīng kāi shǐ shí xíng jìn yān zhèng cè.
    Many cities have already begun implementing smoking-ban policies.
  • 。
    Zhè ge jiǔ bā céng jīng jìn guò yì nián yān.
    This bar once banned smoking for a year.
  • 禁烟。
    Lì shǐ shàng zhù míng de hǔ mén xiāo yān jiù shì yí cì dà guī mó de jìn yān yùn dòng.
    The famous Opium Destruction at Humen in history was a large-scale anti-opium campaign.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

禁jìnprohibit
烟yānsmoking

禁 means prohibit and 烟 means smoking or opium, together to ban smoking.

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
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
林
林lín禁jìn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

禁 has 林 above 示, an altar. The 林 part gives the sound, and the altar part connects the character to taboo or restricted matters.

Open 禁 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
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.

Open 烟 →
Appears in
Alcohol & Tobacco

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