热气腾腾

rè qì téng téng

steaming hot; (of a scene) bustling, in full swing

Character by character

热rè
hot

气qì
steam

腾téng
rising

冬天的晚上，一家人围着一锅热气腾腾的火锅，再冷也不怕。

On a winter evening, with the family round a steaming hotpot, no cold can touch you.

Tone: positive (praise).

Literally of food, kitchens and baths; figuratively of a scene full of energy: 工地上热气腾腾, the building site is a hive of activity.

Learn this in Lesson 11 · HSK 5: 过早：一天从早餐开始 (Breakfast, city by city)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.