蒸汽

蒸

zhe̅ng

汽

qì

steam

Characters and words in 蒸汽

蒸

zhe̅ng = zh + (e)ng1

to evaporate / (of cooking) to steam / torch made from hemp stalks or bamboo (old) / finely chopped firewood (old)

蒸 = 艹 + 烝 : James II of England's (zh) second attempt at feeding the masses (烝) involves a heap of artificial lawn (艹). In front of the engine ((e)ng1) he cooks it producing a lot of steam (蒸) and making it into a stew.

汽

qì = qi + Ø4

steam / vapor

汽 = 气 + 氵 : The Queen of Hearts (qi) conducts an experiment in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). She attached an empty balloon (气) to a water bottle (氵) and uses a lighter to make the water boil. Subsequently the water becomes water vapor (汽) and fills the balloon, enabling the queen to estimate the vapor volume.