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自焚 (zì fén) — to set oneself on fire (as a form of protest or suicide); to self-destruct, to bring about one's own ruin (figurative)

Definition

Literally 'self-incinerate.' Most commonly used for political self-immolation as protest, and figuratively for bringing about one's own ruin through reckless choices.

verb
to set oneself on fire (as a form of protest or suicide)to self-destructto bring about one's own ruin (figurative)

Examples

  • 自焚。
    Nà wèi kàng yì zhě xuǎn zé le zì fén.
    That protester chose self-immolation.
  • 自焚。
    Gōng sī zhè zhǒng cuò wù de cè lüè zuì zhōng huì dǎo zhì zì fén.
    The company's wrong strategy will eventually lead to its own self-destruction.
  • ，自焚。
    Rú guǒ jì xù zhè yàng mào xiǎn, nǐ jiù shì zài zì fén.
    If you keep taking risks like this, you are destroying yourself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

自zìoneself
焚fénburn

自 points to oneself, and 焚 describes burning, giving the idea of self-burning.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

焚 combines 林 (trees) and 火 (fire) to show trees burning.

Open 焚 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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