Meaning of 吸烟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to smoke
How to use 吸烟
吸烟 is the more formal way to say "to smoke" and appears on signs, notices and in news. In everyday speech people usually say 抽烟 (chōuyān). Example: 这里禁止吸烟。(Zhèlǐ jìnzhǐ xīyān.) Smoking is prohibited here.
吸 (xī) has the mouth radical 口, so picture a mouth drawing something in. 烟 (yān) has the fire radical 火, so 吸烟 is pulling the smoke of a fire into your mouth.
Common mistake: Learners often write 吸 with 及 drawn wrong or confuse it with 级 (jí, level), which has the silk radical 纟 instead of the mouth 口. Also, 吸 is first tone xī, not xí or xǐ.
吸烟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
吸 xī · to breathe · 6 strokes
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烟 yān · cigarette or pipe tobacco · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 吸烟.
| 呼吸 | hūxī | to breathe |
| 吸引 | xīyǐn | to attract; to appeal to; to fascinate |
| 抽烟 | chōuyān | to smoke (tobacco) |
| 吸收 | xīshōu | to absorb; to assimilate |
| 吸管 | xīguǎn | (drinking) straw; pipette |
| 吸毒 | xīdú | to take drugs |
| 烟花 | yānhuā | fireworks; prostitute (esp. in Yuan theater) |
| 香烟 | xiāngyān | smoke from incense (burned as an offering to one's ancestors); (fig.) continuation of fami |
| 戒烟 | jiè yān | to give up smoking |
| 烟囱 | yāncōng | chimney; smokestack; stovepipe |
| 烟火 | yānhuǒ | smoke and fire; cooked food |
| 吸取 | xīqǔ | to absorb; to draw (a lesson, insight etc) |
Questions about 吸烟
What does 吸烟 mean?
吸烟 (xīyān) means "to smoke" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 吸烟?
吸烟 is made of 2 characters: 吸 (6 strokes), 烟 (10 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 吸烟 an HSK word?
Yes. 吸烟 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 吸烟 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 吸烟 is written 吸煙.
What is the difference between 吸烟 and 抽烟?
Both mean to smoke tobacco. 吸烟 sounds more formal and written, as in 禁止吸烟 (no smoking), while 抽烟 is what people normally say in conversation, such as 你抽烟吗? (Do you smoke?).
Can I put words between 吸 and 烟?
Yes, 吸烟 works like a verb plus object, so you can say 吸了一支烟 (xī le yì zhī yān), smoked a cigarette. This kind of split is much more common with 抽烟, as in 抽一根烟.