炭 (tàn) - Charcoal — carbonized wood or other organic material & also refers to soot or black residue from

炭Tone 4

tàn ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

檀婷

炭 · tàn

Charcoal — carbonized wood or other organic material used as fuel;

also refers to soot or black residue from burning.

Charcoal — carbonized wood or other organic materialalso refers to soot or black residue from

Usage highlights

CharcoalSootCharcoal drawingActivated charcoalCharcoal briquetteCharcoal industry

Synonyms

  • 煤— coal (mineral fuel)
  • 碳— carbon (chemical element)

Antonyms

  • 冰— ice (opposite of fire/heat)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We use charcoal for grilling (木炭烧烤).
  • The fire produced a lot of soot (炭黑).
  • Charcoal drawing is a traditional art (炭笔画).
  • Activated charcoal is used for filtration (活性炭).

Collocations

  • Charcoal(木炭)
  • Soot(炭黑)
  • Charcoal drawing(炭笔画)
  • Activated charcoal(活性炭)
  • Charcoal briquette(炭块)
  • Charcoal industry(炭业)

Idioms

  • Like ice and charcoal (冰炭不相容) — irreconcilable opposites
  • Charcoal in snow (雪中送炭) — timely help
  • Charcoal and ice in the same furnace (冰炭同炉) — incompatible things coexisting

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically important as a primary fuel source before modern energy.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, certain types of charcoal were used for medicinal purposes.
  • Symbolically represents warmth and sustenance but also destruction and pollution.

FAQ