欲火

慾火
yùhuǒ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 lust
  2. 2 burning desire (especially sexual)

Examples

HSK 2
Tā xīnzhōng yùhuǒ nán píng.
The lust in his heart was hard to calm.
HSK 7-9
Fójiā jiǎngjiu xīmiè yùhuǒ.
Buddhism emphasizes extinguishing the fires of desire.

Tips

culture
欲火 originates in Buddhist vocabulary, where worldly cravings (especially sexual) are likened to fire that burns the soul. 欲火焚身 ("desire-fire scorches the body") is a common four-character phrase.
register
Literary and a bit dramatic. Modern speech uses 性欲 ("sex drive") for the clinical sense; 欲火 stays in novels, poetry, and religious writing.

Stroke Order

huǒ