消防

The Chinese word 消防 (xiǎofáng) for "firefighting" is composed of two characters: 火 (huǒ) meaning "fire" and 防 (fáng) meaning "to prevent" or "to defend against". Together, these characters convey the idea of preventing or fighting fires.The character 火 (huǒ) has a long history in Chinese writing, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In its original form, the character depicted a flame rising from a burning object. Over time, the character evolved into its current simplified form, which still retains the basic shape of a flame.The character 防 (fáng) also has a long history in Chinese writing, dating back to the bronze script of the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). In its original form, the character depicted a person standing behind a shield, symbolizing protection or defense. Over time, the character evolved into its current simplified form, which still retains the basic shape of a person behind a shield.When combined, the characters 火 (huǒ) and 防 (fáng) form the word 消防 (xiǎofáng), which means "firefighting". This word is used in a variety of contexts related to fire prevention and firefighting, such as 消防栓 (xiǎofángshuān) for "fire hydrant" and 消防车 (xiǎofángchē) for "fire truck".