Definition
炉灶 literally means 'kitchen stove' or 'cooking range', but it also has a common figurative meaning in the idiom 另起炉灶 (lìng qǐ lú zào), which means 'to start from scratch' or 'to set up a new undertaking'. In everyday use, you'll hear it in both concrete kitchen contexts and abstract business or life situations where someone makes a fresh start. The figurative sense is not predictable from the literal gloss, so pay attention to context.
n.
kitchen stovecooking range(figurative) a fresh starta new undertaking (especially in the idiom 另起炉灶)
Examples
- 炉灶，。Chúfáng lǐ de lú zào yòng le shí nián, gāi huàn xīn de le.The stove in the kitchen has been used for ten years; it's time to replace it.
- ，，。Gōngsī dǎobì hòu, tā juédìng lìng qǐ lú zào, chóngxīn chuàngyè.After the company went bankrupt, he decided to start from scratch and launch a new business.
- ，炉灶。Tāmen bù xiǎng zài yīlài biérén, dǎsuàn zìjǐ lìng lì lú zào.They don't want to rely on others anymore and plan to set up their own operation.
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