蒸发

蒸發

zhēngfā

verb #8,364

Meanings

1 to evaporate
2 to vanish; to disappear without a trace

Characters

to steam; to evaporate

to emit; to send out; to develop

Literally 'steam and emit' — liquid turning into vapor and dispersing.

Examples

水在阳光下很快就蒸发了。

Shuǐ zài yángguāng xià hěn kuài jiù zhēngfā le.

Water evaporates quickly in the sunlight.

那个人好像从世界上蒸发了一样。

Nàge rén hǎoxiàng cóng shìjiè shàng zhēngfā le yīyàng.

That person seems to have vanished from the face of the earth.

公司的资金突然蒸发了。

Gōngsī de zījīn tūrán zhēngfā le.

The company's funds suddenly evaporated.

Tips

usage

蒸发 is used both literally (physics: liquid to gas) and figuratively (someone or something disappearing completely). 人间蒸发 (rénjiān zhēngfā, 'evaporated from the human world') is a common expression for someone who vanishes without a trace.

Stroke Order

蒸 zhēng

发 fā