炮
bāo , páo , pào · HSK 6
to sauté
🍳 fire 火 + wrap 包 = wrap food in heat, i.e. sauté it
The left radical 火 means fire; the right side 包 (bāo) means to wrap. Wrapping ingredients in fierce heat is exactly what sautéing does. 包 also supplies the bāo/pào pronunciation.
炮 — fire 火 + wrap 包 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 火 (fire) gives the meaning while 包 supplies the sound. Originally written 砲 with 石 (stone) for stone-hurling siege engines, it shifted to 火 once gunpowder cannons appeared. Today it means cannon or firecracker; read páo it means to roast, and bāo to quick-fry.