冶 (yě) — (bound form) to smelt, to refine (metal); (bound form, literary) seductive, bewitchingly beautiful

Definition

A literary bound morpheme (never used alone). 冶 means to smelt metal (in compounds like 冶金 metallurgy); the literary 冶艳 means seductively beautiful.

bound form
to smeltto refine (metal)(bound form, literary) seductivebewitchingly beautiful
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge gōng chǎng zhuān mén cóng shì gāng tiě yě liàn.
    This factory specializes in steel smelting.
  • 冶。
    yě Jīn jì shù duì gōng yè fā zhǎn hěn zhòng yào.
    Metallurgical technology is very important for industrial development.
  • 冶。
    Shī zhōng yòng yě yàn lái xíng róng tā de měi mào.
    The poem uses 'seductive' to describe her beauty.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape of 冶 comes from parts showing metal being cast: 呂 metal ingots, 刀 a ladle, and 口 a decorative part. In 冶, the ingots became 冫, and 刀 and 口 merged into 台.

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