‘煤气’ (méi qì) literally means ‘coal gas’—a combustible gas historically produced by heating coal, once widely used for cooking and heating in Chinese cities before the widespread adoption of natural gas. Though modern urban households in China now mostly use piped natural gas (天然气, tiān rán qì), the term ‘煤气’ remains deeply embedded in everyday language, often used generically to refer to any household cooking gas, regardless of its actual source.

The character 煤 (méi) means ‘coal’, and 气 (qì) means ‘gas’ or ‘air’. Together, they form a compound noun that evokes both historical energy infrastructure and contemporary domestic life—appearing on stove knobs, safety warnings, utility bills, and appliance manuals. While technically outdated as a description of current fuel composition, ‘煤气’ is still the default colloquial term people use when talking about gas stoves, leaks, or supply issues.