Definition
燎原 is a verb-object compound (离合词) meaning literally 'to set the prairie ablaze'. It is most famous from Mao's idiom 星星之火，可以燎原 ('a single spark can start a prairie fire'), where it carries the figurative sense of a small force or idea spreading uncontrollably. As a separable verb, you can insert elements between 燎 and 原 (e.g., 燎了原 'set the prairie ablaze'), but in practice it is often used as a fixed literary phrase.
v.o.
(verb-object) to set the prairie ablaze(figurative) to spread uncontrollably like a wildfire
Examples
- ，燎原。Xīngxīng zhī huǒ, kěyǐ liáo.A single spark can start a prairie fire.
- 燎原。Zhè chǎng yùndòng hěn kuài liáo le quán guó.This movement quickly spread like wildfire across the country.
- 燎原，。Tā de sīxiǎng rú yěhuǒ liáo, yǐngxiǎng le wúshù niánqīng rén.His thoughts, like a prairie fire, influenced countless young people.
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