燧人 (Suìrén) · Suiren

Meanings

1 Suiren
2 legendary Chinese culture hero credited with inventing fire by drilling wood

About Suiren

Legendary culture hero said to have taught people to make fire by drilling wood, 钻木取火, so they could cook their food. He is counted among the 三皇, the Three Sovereigns of prehistory.

Also called 燧人氏

Characters

燧

Suì

fire-drill / ancient fire-starter

人

rén

person

Examples

HSK 6

传说燧人氏教人钻木取火。

Chuánshuō Suìrén shì jiào rén zuān mù qǔ huǒ.

Legend has it that Suiren taught people to make fire by drilling wood.

HSK 7-9

燧人是中华文明的始祖之一。

Suìrén shì Zhōnghuá wénmíng de shǐzǔ zhīyī.

Suiren is one of the founding ancestors of Chinese civilisation.

Tips

culture

燧 is an old word for a fire-making tool, still heard in 燧石 'flint', so 燧人 is simply 'the fire-tool man'. Shangqiu in Henan keeps a legendary tomb for him, the 燧皇陵.

memory

燧 has the 火 (fire) radical on the left - built right into the fire-bringer's name.