冷冻 (lěng dòng) — to freeze (food, etc.) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

冷冻 is specifically about freezing food or perishables for preservation. Unlike 冻结, it is not used for freezing assets or accounts.

verb

to freeze (food, etc.)

Examples

冷冻。
Bǎ lěng dòng de ròu ná chū lái jiě dòng.
Take out the frozen meat to thaw.
冷冻。
Zhè xiē jiǎo zi kě yǐ lěng dòng qǐ lái màn màn chī.
These dumplings can be frozen and eaten slowly.
冷冻。
Hǎi xiān bù yí lěng dòng tài jiǔ.
Seafood should not be frozen for too long.

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 supplies the idea of cold and 冻 the idea of freezing, so 冷冻 means to freeze something with cold.

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.

冫令冷

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 凍; 冻 is its simplified writing.

冫東凍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

冫Written in full as仌bīng

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng凍dòng

Same sound today

The traditional form 凍 pairs 冫 (ice) with 東 for the sound; the simplified 冻 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Cooking

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