文火

wénhuǒ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 low heat; gentle flame (for simmering)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Bǎ tāng yòng wénhuǒ dùn liǎng ge xiǎoshí.
Simmer the soup over low heat for two hours.
HSK 7-9
Zhōngyào yào xiān yòng wǔhuǒ zhǔkāi, zài zhuǎn wénhuǒ mànmàn áo.
Herbal medicine is first brought to the boil over a high flame, then turned down low to simmer slowly.

Tips

usage
文火, the 'civil' fire, and 武火, the 'martial' fire, a strong flame, are the old pair from cookbooks and herbal-medicine instructions. Modern recipes usually just say 小火 and 大火.

Stroke Order

文 wén
火 huǒ