Definition
点火 (diǎn huǒ) is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to light a fire' or 'to start an engine'. It differs from 点燃 (diǎn rán), which is more formal and often used figuratively for emotions, and from 着火 (zháo huǒ), which means 'to catch fire' accidentally. Figuratively, 点火 means to stir up trouble or provoke conflict.
verb
to igniteto light a fireto start an enginefiguratively to stir up trouble or provoke conflict
Examples
- 点火。Tā yòng dǎhuǒjī diǎn huǒ le gōuhuǒ.He used a lighter to ignite a campfire.
- ，。Chēzi zǎoshang hěn nán diǎn huǒ, kěnéng shì diànchí méi diàn le.The car is hard to start in the morning; maybe the battery is dead.
- ，。Tā gùyì zài huìyì shàng diǎn le yì bǎ huǒ, ràng dàjiā zhēnglùn bùxiū.He deliberately stirred up trouble at the meeting, causing everyone to argue endlessly.
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