煙

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

火 — “fire”, semantic component, indicating smoke/fire

垔 — phonetic element (ʔin)

Originally, the character indicated smoke rising from burning material.

In later usage, it broadened to mean “haze, vapor,” and metaphorically “obscure” or “vanish like smoke.”

Smoke / haze:

煙氣 (연기) — smoke; fumes

煙霧 (연무) — smoky haze; smog

煙煙 (연연) — smoky; hazy

煙沙 (연사) — dusty haze

煙霞 (연하) — misty clouds; picturesque mountain haze

煙雨 (연우) — misty drizzle; soft rain like haze

Disappearance / vanishing:

煙消雲散 (연소운산) — “disperse like smoke and clouds”; to vanish completely

化為煙塵 (화위연진) — to turn into smoke and dust; to disappear

Orthographic distinction in modern Chinese

In contemporary sinographic standards:

烟 — simplified character for “smoke”

菸 — specifically “tobacco; cigarette” (used especially in Taiwan)

煙 — traditional, general meaning “smoke”

Classical citations:

《楚辭·九歌》 (Songs of Chu)

「煙薰日照，景色參差。」

“The smoke rises and sunlight shines through, creating shifting colors.”

《史記·龜策列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「煙上徵祥。」

“The rising smoke was taken as an omen.”

《文選·左太冲〈三都賦〉》 (Wenxuan, Anthology of Literature)

「煙雲四塞。」

“Smoke and clouds filled the surroundings on all sides.”