Writing Balance Rule: Maintain balanced outer walls with an open internal structure so the smoke channel in the middle remains clear and uncluttered.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 囪 retains the ancient window-like smoke vent shape, while the simplified form 囱 standardizes some internal strokes for quicker writing.
1. Meaning
Chimney
VentSmokehole
NounLiteraryBound morpheme#architecture#household
Sample Usage
烟囱
yān cōng
chimney
穿窗而出的囱气
chuān chuāng ér chū de cōng qì
smoke venting from the chimney
2. Sound
/[t͡sʰʊŋ˥˥]/Tone: 55
囪
cōngcong1
|
++
¯(55)
=cōng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
cong
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
c
Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant
Sounds like: ts sound like 'ts' in cats
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue placed against the back of the upper teeth, releasing a sharp burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high, matching a flat high-pitched English 'ahhh' of realization.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the affricate initial 'c' ([t͡sʰ]) with the retroflex 'zh' ([t͡ʂ]) or postalveolar 'ch' ([t͡ɕʰ]).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady flat line held at the top of your vocal range, like a sustained musical note.
3. Writing
Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Maintain balanced outer walls with an open internal structure so the smoke channel in the middle remains clear and uncluttered.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 囪 retains the ancient window-like smoke vent shape, while the simplified form 囱 standardizes some internal strokes for quicker writing.
4. Components
Radical囗 · Enclosure Radical (Boundary or enclosure)
Semantic Clue (形旁):囗 (Represents the structural housing or opening of a flue or smoke vent.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):囱 (original sound: cōng)
An enclosure (囗) housing internal pathways through which smoke escapes upward into the sky.
囗 Enclosure representing the structure
夕 / internal strokes Represents the twisting smoke rising through the vent
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: Originally depicted a smoke vent or window on a ancient rooftop where smoke billowed out from an indoor fireplace.
Semantic Evolution: Over time, it specialized into meaning a chimney or smoke vent, often appearing inside the compound word 烟囱 (yāncong - chimney).
Ancient dwellings required specialized smoke apertures before modern brick chimneys were invented.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
thong
Similar level or open pitch in classical Sino-Xenic borrowings.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ソウ (sō) / Kun: mado
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
총
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian root for flue or aperture characters.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Inside a square enclosure (囗), wisps of smoke swirl up through a narrow vertical vent, acting as the building's chimney (cōng).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
葱
cōngscallion, green onionAdd the grass radical (艹) on top because scallions grow out of the ground green like fresh shoots.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
窗(chuāng)
窗 means window and contains a roof crown (穴) over the chimney component, whereas 囱 is just the flue structure.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
屋頂上冒出黑煙的那個地方叫煙[___]。
Clue: cōng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 囱 (chimney) with 窗 (window), since both share a phonetic root but differ in their top/outer radicals.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 囱, what bound morpheme and object does it represent?
Production: How do you write the character for chimney (cōng) using an enclosure radical and internal smoke vents?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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囪cōngChimney
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