烟囱

• Pinyin: yān cōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 烟 = 火 (fire radical) + 因 (phonetic/cause — smoke caused by fire); 囱 = pictographic (hollow tube shape representing a chimney or flue opening)

Meaning

Chimney; smokestack; flue. A vertical structure designed to vent smoke and combustion gases from a fireplace, furnace, boiler, or industrial facility.

Refers to both residential chimneys and large industrial smokestacks (工业烟囱). Strongly associated with pollution imagery in modern environmental discourse. 烟囱效应 (chimney effect / stack effect) is a physics term describing natural upward airflow in tall vertical shafts, used in building engineering and fire safety.

Examples

1. 工厂高耸的烟囱向天空源源不断地排放黑烟，周边社区的居民长期为严重的空气污染所困扰。 The factory’s towering smokestack continuously belched black smoke into the sky, and residents in nearby communities have long suffered from severe air pollution.
2. 冬日清晨，村子里家家户户的烟囱都冒着袅袅青烟，那是炊烟升起、一日生活开始的信号。 On winter mornings in the village, smoke curled up from every chimney—a sign that cooking has begun and a new day is starting.
3. 建筑工程师在设计该高层建筑时，特别考虑了竖向空间中的烟囱效应对通风换气系统的影响。 When designing the high-rise, the building engineer gave special consideration to how the chimney effect in vertical spaces would impact the ventilation system.

Usage Guide

Context: environment, industry, architecture, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 环保部门对该化工厂展开突击检查，发现多根烟囱排放的废气中有害物质浓度严重超标，立即责令停产整改。(The environmental authority conducted an unannounced inspection of the chemical plant and found that the concentration of harmful substances in the emissions from several smokestacks seriously exceeded the permitted limits, immediately ordering a halt to production for rectification.)
• 古旧砖砌烟囱因年久失修出现裂缝，房主委托专业人员对其进行了全面检修和密封处理。(The old brick chimney had developed cracks from years of neglect; the homeowner engaged specialists to carry out a comprehensive inspection and resealing.)

Don't Say

• 烟囱管 — 烟囱 already refers to the chimney structure as a whole; 管 (tube/pipe) is redundant; for specific duct sections use 排烟管道 or 排气管

Origin & History

烟 (smoke) + 囱 (chimney/flue — a pictographic character showing a hollow tube structure)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal