热腾腾 rèténgténg steaming hot
steaming hot; (figuratively) bustling; hectic; (figuratively) excited; stirred up; (figuratively) created only a short time before; freshly minted; hot off the press; (colloquial) also pr.
How to remember 热腾腾: 热 hot + 腾 to fly = steaming hot.
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How it is used
- Vivid reduplicated adjective for food steaming hot and fresh off the stove - 一碗热腾腾的面 (yì wǎn rèténgténg de miàn) a bowl of piping-hot noodles.
- The 腾腾 suffix adds the visible rising steam, so it feels warmer and homier than a plain 很热.
- Also used figuratively for something fresh and lively ('hot off the press'), but the food sense dominates.