万家灯火
wàn jiā dēng huǒ
lights in every home: a city at nightfall, and the ordinary family life it stands for
Character by character
万wàn
ten thousand
ten thousand
家jiā
homes
homes
灯dēng
lamp
lamp
火huǒ
fire
fire
Example
站在山顶往下看，整座城市万家灯火，美极了。
From the top of the hill the whole city lay below us with a light in every window; it was beautiful.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
A city scene at dusk (华灯初上，万家灯火), often with a note of homecoming and warmth. 点亮万家灯火 is a stock slogan of the power industry, and the phrase also stands for ordinary families: 守护万家灯火.
Learn this in Lesson 177 · HSK 7–9: 一度电的旅程 (The journey of a kilowatt-hour)
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.
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