燔 (fán) - to roast & to burn

燔Tone 2

fán ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

恩丰

燔 · fán

to roast;

to burn;

to sacrifice by burning;

ancient term for cooking meat over fire.

to roastto burnto sacrifice by burning

Usage highlights

roast meatburnt offering/sacrificeroast and broilburn firewoodburn booksburn the body

Synonyms

  • 焚— to burn; to set fire to
  • 烧— to burn; to cook
  • 烤— to roast; to bake

Antonyms

  • 熄— to extinguish; to put out (a fire)
  • 灭— to extinguish; to go out

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient ritual involved roasting meat (燔肉) as an offering.
  • They would burn the sacrificial offerings (燔祭) to the gods.
  • The chef expertly roasted the meat over the open fire (燔炙).
  • This character appears in classical texts describing ceremonial burning (燔柴).

Collocations

  • roast meat(燔肉)
  • burnt offering/sacrifice(燔祭)
  • roast and broil(燔炙)
  • burn firewood (ceremonially)(燔柴)
  • burn books(燔书)
  • burn the body(燔尸)

Idioms

  • To burn the books and bury the scholars alive(焚书坑儒 - sometimes referenced with 燔)
  • To offer burnt sacrifices(燔祀)
  • The smoke of the burnt offering(燔烟)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily associated with ancient Chinese sacrificial rituals where meat or other offerings were burned.
  • Appears in classical texts like the Book of Rites (《礼记》) describing ceremonial practices.
  • Sometimes used historically in the context of destructive burning, such as the burning of books.

FAQ