磷火

línhuǒ

noun

Meanings

1 will-o'-the-wisp
2 phosphorescent flame
3 ignis fatuus

Characters

Examples

夜里坟地上偶尔会出现磷火。

Yèlǐ féndì shang ǒu'ěr huì chūxiàn línhuǒ.

At night, will-o'-the-wisps sometimes appear over graveyards.

古人把磷火叫做"鬼火"。

Gǔrén bǎ línhuǒ jiàozuò " guǐhuǒ ".

The ancients called phosphorescent flames 'ghost fire'.

Tips

culture

磷火 is the scientific name for the pale flames sometimes seen in graveyards or marshes - caused by phosphine (PH₃) self-igniting in air. In folklore it is called 鬼火 ('ghost fire') and was thought to be the souls of the dead.

Stroke Order

磷 lín

火 huǒ