吸烟

• Pinyin: xī yān
• Hanzi breakdown: 吸 = 口 (mouth) + 及 (phonetic); 烟 = 火 (fire) + 因 (cause, phonetic) — smoke or cigarette

Meaning

To smoke (tobacco); to smoke cigarettes.

Refers specifically to the act of smoking tobacco products. China has the world's largest number of smokers, and public smoking restrictions have been introduced in many cities. The term is neutral in register but often carries a cautionary or health-related connotation in modern usage.

Examples

1. 这个区域禁止吸烟，请到指定地点。 Smoking is prohibited in this area — please go to the designated smoking zone.
2. 医生建议他立刻戒掉吸烟的习惯。 The doctor advised him to quit smoking immediately.
3. 他知道吸烟对身体有害，却一直难以戒掉。 He knows that smoking is harmful to his health, but has always found it hard to quit.

Usage Guide

Context: health, public policy, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请不要在室内吸烟。(Please do not smoke indoors.)
• 他已经戒烟两年了，不再吸烟了。(He has quit smoking for two years and no longer smokes.)

Don't Say

• 把吸烟用于非烟草的吸入行为。(Don't use 吸烟 for inhaling non-tobacco substances — use more specific terms; 吸烟 refers specifically to tobacco smoking.)

Origin & History

Compound of 吸 (to inhale) and 烟 (smoke/cigarette), literally 'to inhale smoke.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal