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火藥桶

简火药桶 · 繁火藥桶

Mandarin · pinyin huǒ yào tǒng

(fig.) powder keg

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Characters in this entry

火: huǒ · fire, flame; burn; anger, rage
藥: Look up this written character
桶: tǒng · pail, bucket, tub; cask, keg
药: yào · leaf of Dahurian angelica plant; medicine

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–4–3 · huo3 yao4 tong3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

火藥桶 · find source passages ↗ · 火药桶 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

powder keg (barrel containing gunpowder)
(figurative) powder keg; tinderbox; danger spot

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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