煽 shān to stir up
to stir up; to incite
How to remember 煽: 火 fire + 扇 fan = to stir up. The barbecue fire is almost out, so Uncle waves his paper fan hard, always the first to stir up trouble at a party.
Component breakdown
煽 = 火 fire + 扇 fan
- 火 fire
- 扇 fan
The barbecue fire is almost out, so Uncle waves his paper fan hard, always the first to stir up trouble at a party.
How it is used
- To fan (a fire), hence to incite/stir up - 煽动 (shāndòng) to incite/instigate (unrest), 煽风点火 (shānfēng-diǎnhuǒ) to fan the flames / stir up trouble.
- 煽情 (shānqíng) means to play on the emotions / be tear-jerking. Usually negative.