抽烟
chōuyān · HSK 4
smoke (pipe/etc.)
🚬 抽烟 = draw/pull + smoke (literally 'pull smoke')
抽 means to pull or draw out (as from a pack), and 烟 is smoke or tobacco. Together they describe the act of pulling smoke from a cigarette — the standard verb for smoking.
抽 — hand radical 扌 + 由 yóu (phonetic)
抽 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning—an action done with the hand—while 由 supplies the sound (yóu → chōu). The original sense was to pull or draw out by hand, which extends to modern meanings like 'extract', 'draw (a lot)', or 'take time out'.
烟 — fire radical 火 + 因 (cause, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 火 ('fire') gives the meaning, while 因 supplies the sound 'yīn', close to 'yān'. Originally referring to the smoke rising from a fire, 烟 later extended to mist, vapor, and eventually tobacco and cigarettes in modern usage.