冷光 (lěng guāng) — (physics) cold light, luminescence without heat; (figurative) a cold, stern look

Definition

Two senses: the literal physics term for light emitted without heat (as in fireflies or LEDs), and a figurative 'cold, piercing look' in the eyes. The second sense is what you'll meet in literary writing.

noun
(physics) cold lightluminescence without heat(figurative) a coldstern look

Examples

  • 冷光，。
    Yíng huǒ chóng fā chū de shì yì zhǒng lěng guāng, bú huì fā rè.
    The light emitted by fireflies is a kind of cold light that doesn't produce heat.
  • 冷光，。
    Tā yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yì sī lěng guāng, ràng rén bù hán ér lì.
    A flash of cold light flickered in his eyes, sending chills down people's spines.
  • 冷光。
    Zhè zhǒng lěng guāng jì shù bèi yòng yú zhì zào jié néng dēng pào.
    This cold-light technology is used to manufacture energy-saving light bulbs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

冷lěngcold
光guānglight

冷 (cold) gives the quality of 光 (light), naming light without much heat or a stern look.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng冷lěng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冷 uses 冫, the ice form, with 令 as a sound part, to mean cold as ice.

Open 冷 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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