燹 (xiǎn) - Conflagration & wildfire

燹Tone 3

xiǎn ｜ 18 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

燹 · xiǎn

Conflagration;

wildfire;

destruction by fire;

war and its devastation.

Conflagrationwildfiredestruction by fire

Usage highlights

war and firesurvive the conflagrationfire disasterflames of warfire damagefire

Synonyms

  • 火— fire (general term)
  • 焚— to burn, set fire to
  • 燎— to burn, blaze

Antonyms

  • 安— peace, safety
  • 宁— tranquility, peace

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient city was ravaged by war and fire (兵燹).
  • The wildfire swept through the forest (野火燎燹).
  • The manuscript survived the wartime conflagration (幸免于燹).
  • The village was destroyed in the conflict (毁于战燹).

Collocations

  • war and fire(兵燹)
  • survive the conflagration(免于燹祸)
  • fire disaster(燹灾)
  • flames of war(战燹)
  • fire damage(燹毁)
  • fire-ravaged(燹余)

Idioms

  • The ravages of war(兵燹之灾)
  • Surviving the flames of war(劫后燹余)
  • Destroyed by fire and sword(焚于烽燹)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used to describe the destruction caused by warfare, particularly fire as a weapon.
  • Appears in classical texts documenting wars, rebellions, and natural disasters involving fire.
  • Carries strong connotations of catastrophe and irreversible loss in literary contexts.

FAQ