冷库 (lěng kù) — refrigerated storage; freezer (cold storage room)

Definition

noun
refrigerated storagefreezer (cold storage room)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 冷库。
    Bǎ shí wù fàng jìn lěng kù kě yǐ bǎo cún hěn jiǔ.
    Putting food into cold storage can preserve it for a long time.
  • 冷库。
    Zhè ge lěng kù de wēn dù xū yào bǎo chí zài líng xià shí bā dù.
    The temperature of this cold storage needs to be kept at minus 18 degrees.
  • 冷库。
    Tā men zū le yí gè lěng kù lái chǔ cún hǎi xiān.
    They rented a cold storage to store seafood.

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
库kùstorage

'冷' (cold) and '库' (storage) together name a refrigerated room.

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 →

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 庫; 库 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
車
車jū庫kù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 庫 pairs 广 (building) with 車 (sound); the building part points to a storehouse. The simplified 库 is a later shorthand.

Open 库 →

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