火候 (huǒhou) — degree of heating; timing; level of maturity

Characters in this word

Strokes: 10
Radical: 亻 — man, person
Made of: 亻 man, person 矦 target in archery
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

这道菜讲究火候，鱼肉刚熟就要离锅，否则口感会迅速变老。 Zhè dào cài jiǎngjiu huǒhou, yúròu gāng shú jiù yào lí guō, fǒuzé kǒugǎn huì xùnsù biàn lǎo. This dish depends on precise heat control; the fish must be removed from the pan as soon as it is cooked, otherwise its texture will quickly toughen.
做饭最难掌握的是火候，火大了容易糊。 Zuò fàn zuì nán zhǎngwò de shì huǒhou, huǒ dà le róngyì hú. The hardest thing to master in cooking is the heat; if the flame is too big, food burns easily.
他做事很有火候，知道什么时候该说话，什么时候该沉默。 Tā zuò shì hěn yǒu huǒhou, zhīdào shénme shíhou gāi shuōhuà, shénme shíhou gāi chénmò. He has a good sense of timing and knows when to speak and when to stay silent.