清冷 (qīng lěng) — chilly but refreshing; cool and crisp; desolate; deserted; bleak and lonely

Definition

An adjective for weather or air that is cool and refreshing (not harsh or bitter cold), or for a scene that feels bleak and deserted. Pairs naturally with 爽口, 新鲜 for the 'crisp' sense, and with 街道, 深夜 for the 'desolate' sense.

adjective
chilly but refreshingcool and crispdesolatedesertedbleak and lonely

Examples

  • ，清冷。
    Qiū tiān de zǎo chén, kōng qì qīng lěng ér xīn xiān.
    On autumn mornings, the air is crisp and fresh.
  • 清冷，。
    Shēn yè de jiē dào shí fēn qīng lěng, yí gè rén yě méi yǒu.
    The streets late at night were very desolate, with no one around.
  • 清冷。
    Zhè bēi bò he chá hē qǐ lái qīng lěng shuǎng kǒu.
    This cup of mint tea tastes cool and refreshing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

清qīngcool/clear
冷lěngcold

清 and 冷 combine to suggest a cool, clear chill, sometimes bleak and deserted.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

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 →

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