烧水
To boil water
Littéralement: 烧 (shāo - to burn/heat) 水 (shuǐ - water)
Use `烧水` whenever you are preparing hot water for drinking, tea, or simple cooking tasks.
En 15 secondes
- Literally means heating water until it reaches a boiling point.
- Essential for making tea, instant noodles, or healthy warm drinks.
- A very common daily chore and a sign of hospitality.
Signification
This phrase literally means to heat up water until it boils. In Chinese daily life, it is the essential first step for making tea, cooking noodles, or preparing the warm drinking water that many Chinese people prefer.
Exemples clés
3 sur 6Starting the morning routine
我每天早上先烧水。
I boil water first every morning.
Welcoming a guest to your home
请坐，我去烧水给你泡茶。
Please sit, I'll go boil water to make tea for you.
A formal office setting
王经理，我这就去烧水准备会议。
Manager Wang, I'm going to boil water now to prepare for the meeting.
Contexte culturel
Boiling water is a cornerstone of Chinese 'Yang Sheng' (health preservation) culture. Since ancient times, drinking warm water has been believed to balance the body's internal 'qi'. It is the first thing offered to any guest, symbolizing warmth and welcome.
The 'Hot Water' Meme
In China, 'drink more hot water' (多喝热水) is a famous meme. It's the standard advice for everything from a breakup to a fever!
Don't 'Burn' the Water
While `烧` means burn, don't worry—you aren't setting the water on fire. It just refers to the heat source.
En 15 secondes
- Literally means heating water until it reaches a boiling point.
- Essential for making tea, instant noodles, or healthy warm drinks.
- A very common daily chore and a sign of hospitality.
What It Means
烧水 is a basic but vital action verb phrase. It describes the process of putting water on a stove or in a kettle. You are turning cold water into boiling water. It is the foundation of Chinese hospitality and health habits.
How To Use It
You use it just like a regular verb-object phrase. Put a subject in front, like 我 (I) or 妈妈 (Mom). You can add a result, like 烧开了 (boiled). It is very straightforward. No complex grammar is needed here. Just remember that 烧 means to burn or heat up.
When To Use It
Use it every single morning at home. Use it when a guest arrives at your house. You might say it before making tea or coffee. It is common in the kitchen while prepping for dinner. If you are in a dorm, you might ask your roommate to 烧水. It is a very active, helpful phrase.
When NOT To Use It
Do not use it if the water is already hot. Do not use it for bath water; usually, we say 放热水 (let out hot water). Do not use it for 'cooking' soup; that is 煮汤. 烧水 is specifically for plain water. It sounds weird if you use it for other liquids like milk.
Cultural Background
In China, hot water is considered a cure-all. Feeling sick? Drink hot water. Tired? Drink hot water. This makes 烧水 a daily ritual. Historically, boiling water was necessary for safety. Today, it is a deep-rooted habit for health and digestion. A kettle is the heart of a Chinese kitchen.
Common Variations
You will often hear 水烧开了 (the water has boiled). Another one is 去烧点水 (go boil some water). If you want to be polite, say 我给你烧点水 (I will boil some water for you). It sounds very caring. It is the ultimate 'mom' phrase in Chinese culture.
Notes d'usage
This is a neutral, everyday phrase. It's safe to use in any setting from a construction site to a high-end tea house. Just ensure you use `开` (kāi) to indicate the water has actually reached boiling point.
The 'Hot Water' Meme
In China, 'drink more hot water' (多喝热水) is a famous meme. It's the standard advice for everything from a breakup to a fever!
Don't 'Burn' the Water
While `烧` means burn, don't worry—you aren't setting the water on fire. It just refers to the heat source.
Result Matters
If the water is finished boiling, add `开` (kāi) to say `水烧开了`. It sounds much more natural than just saying the water is hot.
Exemples
6我每天早上先烧水。
I boil water first every morning.
Shows a habitual action using 'first' (先).
请坐，我去烧水给你泡茶。
Please sit, I'll go boil water to make tea for you.
A classic hospitable gesture in Chinese culture.
王经理，我这就去烧水准备会议。
Manager Wang, I'm going to boil water now to prepare for the meeting.
Professional use when preparing tea for a meeting.
你回家了吗？帮我烧水。谢谢！
Are you home? Help me boil water. Thanks!
Short, direct request between friends.
哎呀！我忘了我在烧水！
Oops! I forgot I was boiling water!
Expressing a common household 'emergency'.
你感冒了，我帮你烧点热水喝。
You have a cold, I'll boil some hot water for you to drink.
Reflects the cultural belief that hot water helps recovery.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct verb to complete the phrase for making tea.
我想喝茶，我去___水。
`烧` (shāo) is the specific verb used with water to mean boiling it.
Complete the sentence to tell someone the water is ready.
水___了，可以泡咖啡了。
`烧开` (shāo kāi) means the water has reached a boil and is ready.
🎉 Score : /2
Aides visuelles
Formality of '烧水'
Asking a roommate to boil water.
帮我烧水。
General daily description.
我在烧水。
Offering tea to a client.
我去为您烧水泡茶。
When to say '烧水'
Morning Routine
First thing after waking up.
Hosting Guests
Before serving tea.
Feeling Unwell
Preparing a warm drink.
Cooking
Prepping for instant noodles.
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsEssentially, yes. While English users say 'boil water', the Chinese verb 烧 emphasizes the heating process.
Not really. For soup, use 煮汤 (zhǔ tāng). 烧水 is strictly for plain water.
Yes, it is a neutral term. However, to be extra polite, you can say 我去准备开水 (I will go prepare boiled water).
烧水 is the action (verb), while 开水 is the result (noun: boiled water).
Yes, very often! It is common to see people carrying thermoses of plain hot water everywhere.
No, that sounds strange. Use 泡咖啡 (pào kāfēi) for making/brewing coffee.
Not really for the action itself, but 多喝热水 is used sarcastically when someone gives unhelpful health advice.
You can ask 水烧开了吗？ (Shuǐ shāo kāi le ma?).
Usually no. For baths, people say 烧洗澡水, but in modern homes with heaters, we just say 放热水.
Yes, it's used in 烧烤 (BBQ) and 发烧 (to have a fever).
Expressions liées
开水
Boiled water / Hot water
泡茶
To make/steep tea
热水瓶
Thermos / Hot water flask
多喝热水
Drink more hot water (common advice)
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