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鑊氣

简镬气 · 繁鑊氣

Mandarin · pinyin huò qì

"wok hei", a distinctive smoky, charred, and slightly caramelized flavor imparted to food cooked in a wok over a high flame (orthographic borrowing from Cantonese, Jyutping: wok6 hei3)

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Characters in this entry

鑊: Look up this written character
氣: qì · air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit
镬: huò · cauldron, large iron pot
气: qì · steam, vapor; Kangxi radical 84

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · huo4 qi4

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wok6 hei3

Cantonese word readings for 鑊氣. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

(chiefly Cantonese) the flavour imparted by cooking food in a wok; wok hei
(Cantonese) possibility or tendency to become problematic

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

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