冷气 (lěng qì) — air conditioning (especially in Taiwan) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

In Taiwan, 冷气 is the everyday word for 'air conditioning.' Compare with 空调 (mainland-China standard) — same thing, different region. Don't confuse with 空气 ('air').

noun

air conditioning (especially in Taiwan)

Measure word · 台

Examples

，冷气。
Xià tiān dào le, wǒ měi tiān dōu yào kāi lěng qì.
Summer has come, I need to turn on the air conditioning every day.
冷气。
Zhè tái lěng qì hěn shěng diàn.
This air conditioner is very energy-efficient.
冷气，。
Qǐng bǎ lěng qì kāi dà yì diǎn, wǒ jué de hěn rè.
Please turn up the air conditioning a bit, I feel very hot.

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 describes 气, so 冷气 is cold air used for air conditioning.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Technology & Engineering

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