导火索
dǎo huǒ suǒ · HSK 7
fuse
🧨 guide + fire + rope = a cord that leads the flame to the bang
索 suǒ means rope or cord. The full word names exactly what a fuse does: it guides (导) fire (火) along a cord (索) to the explosive.
火 — pictograph of flames rising
火 is a pictograph showing flames rising upward from a fire, with the central stroke as the main blaze and the side strokes as sparks. The ancient oracle bone form looked even more clearly like a burning flame. It still means 'fire' today and serves as a common radical in characters related to heat, burning, or cooking.