煤 méi carbon
carbon; charcoal; coal; coke
How to remember 煤: 火 fire + 某 some = carbon. To keep the fire going all winter, grandpa shovels some more black carbon into the old stove.
Component breakdown
煤 = 火 fire + 某 some
- 火 fire
- 某 some
To keep the fire going all winter, grandpa shovels some more black carbon into the old stove.
How it is used
- Coal - 煤炭 (méitàn) coal, 煤矿 (méikuàng) a coal mine.
- 煤气 (méiqì) = coal gas/piped gas (煤气灶 a gas stove, 煤气中毒 gas poisoning).
- An energy/industrial term; distinct from 碳 (tàn, carbon) and 炭 (tàn, charcoal).
- 烧煤 (shāo méi) = to burn coal (for heating).