炼

to refine; to smelt

9 strokes Dict coverage rank #1,620 U+70BC

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

火 (semantic, “fire”) + 柬 (phonetic, jiǎn)

components: 火柬

refine · Heisig RSH #2609

火 fire + covered rickshaw

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Phonetic series: characters sharing the sound component 柬

Siblings built with the same phonetic component 柬 (jiǎn) — compare how they read:

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
柬 sound component	jiǎn	card, letter, invitation, note
练	liàn	to drill, to exercise; to practice, to train
阑	lán	screen door, railing, fence
拣	jiǎn	to choose, to select; to gather, to pick up
谏	jiàn	to admonish, to remonstrate
楝	liàn	Melia japonica

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
炼金术士	liàn jīn shù shì	alchemist
真金不怕火炼	zhēn jīn bù pà huǒ liàn	True gold fears no fire. (idiom)
炼之未定	liàn zhī wèi dìng	to spend a long time thinking about sth while unable to reach a decision
炼金术	liàn jīn shù	alchemy
百炼成钢	bǎi liàn chéng gāng	to be tempered into a steel
炼化	liàn huà	to refine; refining (e.g. oil, chemicals etc)
炼字	liàn zì	to craft one's words
炼制	liàn zhì	(chemistry) to refine
炼丹术	liàn dān shù	maker of immortality pill; concocting magic pills
炼油	liàn yóu	to refine crude oil; to render animal fat
精炼	jīng liàn	to refine (a substance); to purify; to refine (one's skills, writing etc); refined; polish…
百炼钢	bǎi liàn gāng	high-grade well-tempered steel
炼油厂	liàn yóu chǎng	oil refinery
炼铁	liàn tiě	smelting iron
提炼	tí liàn	to extract (ore, minerals etc); to refine; to purify; to process
精炼厂	jīng liàn chǎng	refinery
炼铁厂	liàn tiě chǎng	iron foundry
千锤百炼	qiān chuí bǎi liàn	after hard work and numerous revisions (idiom); the vicissitudes of life
修炼	xiū liàn	(of Taoists) to practice austerities; to practice asceticism
洗炼	xǐ liàn	variant of 洗練\|洗练[xi3 lian4]