jiànghuǒ: 降火 - To Reduce Internal Heat, To Cool Down

Keywords: jiang huo, 降火, jiang huo meaning, what is shang huo, what is jiang huo, reduce internal heat chinese medicine, TCM cooling foods, get rid of canker sores chinese medicine, herbal tea for sore throat, Traditional Chinese Medicine, 清热, 上火

Summary: Discover the meaning of 降火 (jiàng huǒ), a fundamental concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) about “reducing internal heat.” This page explains how Chinese culture views the body's balance and the common condition of “上火 (shàng huǒ)“—having too much internal fire. Learn practical ways to 降火, from drinking cooling herbal teas (凉茶, liáng chá) to eating specific foods, and understand why this concept is essential for daily health and wellness in China.

Pinyin (with tone marks): jiàng huǒ

Part of Speech: Verb phrase (Verb-Object)

HSK Level: N/A

Concise Definition: To reduce or extinguish “internal heat” in the body, according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In a Nutshell: Imagine your body has an internal thermostat. In Chinese culture, things like stress, lack of sleep, or eating too much fried and spicy food can turn this thermostat way up, creating a state of “internal fire” or “heatiness” called 上火 (shàng huǒ). This can lead to symptoms like a sore throat, canker sores, acne, or a dry mouth. 降火 (jiàng huǒ) is the action you take to turn that thermostat back down. It means “to lower the fire” and involves consuming “cooling” foods and drinks to restore your body's natural balance.

降 (jiàng): This character means “to descend,” “to lower,” or “to drop.” Think of it as the action of bringing something down from a higher position.

火 (huǒ): This is the character for “fire.” It's a simple pictograph that looks like a flame with sparks flying off.

How they combine: The combination 降火 (jiàng huǒ) literally translates to “lower the fire.” It's a vivid and direct description of the term's function within Traditional Chinese Medicine: to quell the “fire” or inflammation inside the body.

The Philosophy of Balance: The concept of 降火 is deeply rooted in the Chinese philosophy of 阴阳 (yīn yáng), which emphasizes balance in all things. “Fire” (火) is a strong Yang element. Too much Yang (heat) without enough Yin (coolness) to balance it leads to the unhealthy state of 上火 (shàng huǒ). Therefore, the goal of 降火 is not to eliminate fire completely, but to restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang within the body.

Comparison to Western Concepts: In the West, if you have a sore throat, acne, and feel irritable, you might attribute these to separate causes: a virus, hormones, and stress. In China, these symptoms are often collectively diagnosed in a folk context as 上火 (shàng huǒ). The remedy, 降火, is a holistic one. While Western medicine might prescribe an antibiotic or specific cream, the Chinese approach might be to drink chrysanthemum tea, eat mung bean soup, or avoid spicy food. It's less about targeting a specific pathogen and more about rebalancing the body's entire system. It's similar to the Western wellness idea of “detoxing,” but based on the specific TCM framework of “heat” and “cold” properties of food and herbs.

Everyday Health Conversations: This is an extremely common term in daily life. People will often self-diagnose and say, “我最近有点上火，需要降降火” (Wǒ zuìjìn yǒudiǎn shàng huǒ, xūyào jiàng jiàng huǒ - “I've had a bit of internal heat lately, I need to cool down.”).

Food and Drink Recommendations: It's used constantly to recommend or advise against certain foods. A friend might see you eating fried chicken and say, “少吃点，这个容易上火！” (Shǎo chī diǎn, zhège róngyì shàng huǒ! - “Eat less, that stuff easily causes internal heat!”). Conversely, they might offer you watermelon and say, “吃点西瓜吧，可以降火” (Chī diǎn xīguā ba, kěyǐ jiàng huǒ - “Have some watermelon, it can help reduce heat.”).

Commercial Products: The term 降火 is a powerful marketing tool. You will see it on packaging for herbal teas, toothpaste (for gum inflammation), and throat lozenges.

Not for Literal Fires: Never use 降火 to talk about extinguishing a real fire in a building. For that, you would use 灭火 (miè huǒ). 降火 refers exclusively to the metaphorical “fire” inside the body.

Not for Cooling Down from Weather: If you are hot because of the weather and want to cool your body temperature, you would say 降温 (jiàngwēn) or 凉快一下 (liángkuai yīxià). Using 降火 in this context would be incorrect, as it implies a TCM-related internal imbalance, not just a physical sensation of heat.

False Friend: “Anti-inflammatory”: While many foods used to 降火 do have anti-inflammatory properties, the terms are not interchangeable. “Anti-inflammatory” is a specific biomedical term describing a substance's effect on cellular inflammation. 降火 is a broad, holistic concept from TCM that encompasses diet, emotion, and lifestyle to treat a systemic imbalance of “heat.”

上火 (shàng huǒ) - The direct antonym. The condition of having excessive “internal heat” which necessitates the action of 降火.

凉茶 (liáng chá) - Literally “cooling tea.” A category of herbal infusions that are a primary method for 降火.

清热 (qīng rè) - A slightly more formal or medical-sounding synonym meaning “to clear heat.” Often seen in the names of patent medicines.

去火 (qù huǒ) - A synonym for 降火, meaning “to get rid of/remove fire.” It is used interchangeably in conversation.

解毒 (jiě dú) - “To detoxify.” In TCM, excessive heat can be considered a type of “toxin” (毒), so “clearing heat and detoxifying” (清热解毒 - qīng rè jiě dú) is a very common therapeutic principle.

阴阳 (yīn yáng) - The foundational Taoist philosophy of balance that underpins the entire concept of hot/cold (Yang/Yin) states in the body.

绿豆汤 (lǜdòu tāng) - Mung bean soup. A classic, homemade food remedy used to 降火, especially in the summer.

寒性 (hán xìng) - “Cold-natured” or “cooling property.” Describes foods (like watermelon or cucumber) that can help 降火. The opposite is 热性 (rè xìng - “hot-natured”).