zyun1 muk6 ceoi2 fo2鑽木取火钻木取火
Jyutpingzyun1 muk6 ceoi2 fo2
Yalejyūn muhk chéui fó
Definition
To drill wood to make fire, using friction to generate heat and create sparks.
neutraldaily actionsother
How it's used
This idiom is primarily used in historical or educational contexts to describe the primitive method of fire-making. It is rarely used metaphorically in daily speech compared to other four-character idioms. When used, it emphasizes the extreme difficulty and patience required to generate a spark through friction.
Examples
Primitive people used to rely on drilling wood to make fire.
Have you ever tried drilling wood to make fire?
Related words
Common phrases
learn to drill wood to make fire
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.
