燎原

liáoyuán

verb #35,822

Meanings

1 to set the prairie ablaze
2 (figurative) to spread unstoppably across a wide area

Characters

to set ablaze, to scorch

open plain, prairie

Examples

这场运动的火种迅速燎原，席卷全国。

Zhè chǎng yùndòng de huǒzhǒng xùnsù liáoyuán, xíjuǎn quánguó.

The spark of this movement quickly set the prairie alight, sweeping across the entire country.

谣言一旦燎原就很难控制。

Yáoyán yīdàn liáoyuán jiù hěn nán kòngzhì.

Once a rumor spreads like wildfire, it's very hard to control.

Tips

history

Comes from 《尚书·盘庚上》 (the Book of Documents): 若火之燎于原，不可向迩 ('like fire blazing across the plain, none can approach it'). The full chengyu 星星之火，可以燎原 (xīngxīng zhī huǒ, kěyǐ liáoyuán, 'a single spark can start a prairie fire') was made famous by Mao Zedong in his 1930 essay of the same name.

memory

燎 (liáo, 'to blaze across') + 原 (yuán, 'open plain') paints the image directly — fire racing across the steppe.

Stroke Order

燎 liáo

原 yuán