Definition
香烟 is the standard modern Chinese word for 'cigarette', composed of 香 'fragrant' and 烟 'smoke'. The literal combination also refers to incense smoke, which in traditional contexts extends to incense offerings made to ancestors (often during funerals or Qingming) and, by metaphor, to the line of descendants who continue those offerings. Today the 'cigarette' sense dominates in everyday speech, while the traditional senses appear in literary, historical, or ritual language.
n.
cigaretteincense smoke (from burning incense)(traditional context) incense offering to ancestorsposterity (by extension)
Examples
- 香烟，。Tā mǎi le yì bāo xiāng yān, ránhòu zǒu chū le shāngdiàn.He bought a pack of cigarettes and then walked out of the store.
- 香烟。Gōnggòng chǎngsuǒ tōngcháng jìnzhǐ xī xiāng yān.Smoking is usually prohibited in public places.
- 香烟。Zhè zhī xiāng yān de wèidao hěn dàn.This cigarette has a very mild flavor.
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