蒸

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to evaporate; (of cooking) to steam; torch made from hemp stalks or bamboo (old); finely chopped firewood (old)

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

Steam 烝 provides the meaning and sound

Components 艹烝

steam · Heisig RSH #1413

flower + floor + cooking fire + 了 -ed + 水 water

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
人间蒸发	rén jiān zhēng fā	to vanish; to disappear from the face of the earth
蒸发空调	zhēng fā kōng tiáo	evaporative air conditioner; evaporative cooler
水蒸气	shuǐ zhēng qì	vapor
蒸发热	zhēng fā rè	latent heat of evaporation
蒸气重整	zhēng qì chóng zhěng	steam reforming (chemistry)
蒸汽压路机	zhēng qì yā lù jī	steamroller
蒸汽机车	zhēng qì jī chē	steam locomotive
蒸腾作用	zhēng téng zuò yòng	transpiration
蒸气	zhēng qì	vapor; steam
蒸发	zhēng fā	to evaporate; (fig.) to vanish; to disappear
蒸蒸日上	zhēng zhēng rì shàng	becoming more prosperous with each passing day
不蒸馒头争口气	bù zhēng mán tou zhēng kǒu qì	not to be crushed (idiom); to be determined to have one's revenge
清蒸	qīng zhēng	steamed in broth
蒸粗麦粉	zhēng cū mài fěn	couscous
蒸汽机	zhēng qì jī	steam engine
蒸散	zhēng sàn	(plant) evapotranspiration
蒸湘区	Zhēng xiāng Qū	Zhengxiang, a district of Hengyang City 衡陽市\|衡阳市[Heng2 yang2 Shi4], Hunan
蒸汽挂烫机	zhēng qì guà tàng jī	garment steamer
蒸锅	zhēng guō	steamer
茶碗蒸	chá wǎn zhēng	chawanmushi, Japanese savory egg custard dish that is steamed and served in a small bowl