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lamp; light

dēng
6 strokes · 火 (fire radical) + 丁 (nail, sound dīng→dēng) · HSK 2

Where 灯 comes from

Fire 火 tamed to a point: the traditional 燈 used 登 'to ascend' as sound — flame climbing a wick. Simplified 灯 swapped in 丁 for economy. From oil lamps to LEDs, the character kept its little fire.

灯 in Chinese culture

元宵节 the Lantern Festival closes Spring Festival with 灯会 lantern fairs and 猜灯谜 riddle-guessing hung from lanterns — a thousand-year-old quiz show. 红绿灯 traffic lights rule modern streets; 开夜车 studying under lamplight rules exam season.

Example

开灯 kāi dēng — to turn on the light

天黑了,请开灯。
Tiān hēi le, qǐng kāi dēng.
It's dark — please turn on the light.

How to remember it

Fire 火 pinned like a nail 丁 to the wall — a LAMP.

灯红酒绿 'lamps red, wine green' paints nightlife in four characters — neon before neon existed.

Same sound, different tones

1st dēng
lamp
3rd děng
to wait
4th dèng
to glare

Words unlocked by 灯

开灯 kāi dēng
to turn on the light
红绿灯 hónglǜdēng
traffic light
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