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起火

qǐhuǒ
verb #7,327

Meanings

  1. 1 to catch fire; to start a fire
  2. 2 to break out (of a fire)

Characters

起
qǐ
to rise; to start
火
huǒ
fire
Fire starts/rises - something catches fire.

Examples

HSK 4
厨房突然起火了！
Chúfáng tūrán qǐhuǒ le!
The kitchen suddenly caught fire!
HSK 6
那栋楼昨晚起火了。
Nà dòng lóu zuówǎn qǐhuǒ le.
That building caught fire last night.
HSK 6
消防员赶到时，房子已经起火了。
Xiāofángyuán gǎndào shí, fángzi yǐjīng qǐhuǒ le.
When the firefighters arrived, the house was already on fire.

Tips

usage
起火 means a fire starts (usually accidentally). For deliberately starting a fire, use 点火 or 放火 (arson). 着火 is a synonym for 'catch fire.'

Stroke Order

起 qǐ
火 huǒ