Definition
发火 (fā huǒ) is a separable verb (离合词) with two meanings: 'to lose one's temper' and 'to catch fire'. For anger, it's more colloquial and intense than 生气 (shēng qì) and less formal than 发怒 (fā nù). For fire, it describes something igniting spontaneously (e.g., a match), while 着火 (zháo huǒ) is for a fire starting (e.g., a building) and 点燃/点火 imply deliberate action.
verb
to get angryto lose one's temperto catch fireto ignite
Easily confused
- 发炎fā yánlook-aliketo become inflamed; inflammation
Examples
- 发火。Bié wèi zhè zhǒng xiǎo shì fā huǒ.Don't get angry over such a small thing.
- ，。Tā jīntiān fā le yí cì huǒ, bǎ dàjiā dōu xià dào le.He lost his temper once today and scared everyone.
- 发火。Huǒchái yí huà jiù fā huǒ le.The match caught fire as soon as it was struck.
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