fo2 siu1火燒火烧
Jyutpingfo2 siu1
Yalefó sīu
Definition
To burn; to set fire to; to cause something to catch fire.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the act of destruction by fire rather than just the state of burning. It is often used in contexts involving arson or accidental disasters where property is destroyed. Unlike the more general term 燒, this specifically highlights the intensity of a fire consuming an object or structure.
Examples
Don't play with fire, be careful you'll burn the house down.
Are they trying to set fire to that old factory?
Related words
Common phrases
the burning of the chain-linked ships (a famous historical event from the Three Kingdoms period)
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe cooking or heating food, where 燒 or 燶 is more appropriate. Using 火燒 for cooking sounds like you are trying to destroy the food rather than prepare it.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
