冰 (bīng) — ice; to chill (something)
Definition
冰 is the physical substance 'ice' (a noun, counted with 块), and also a verb meaning 'to chill' something in a fridge or with ice. Don't confuse it with 感冒 ('catch a cold') — that's the illness, not ice.
iceto chill (something)
Measure word · 块
Easily confused
Examples
- 冰。Zhuō zi shàng yǒu yí kuài bīng.There is a piece of ice on the table.
- 冰。Qǐng bǎ yǐn liào bīng yí xià.Please chill the drink.
- 。Xià tiān wǒ xǐ huan hē bīng shuǐ.In summer I like to drink iced water.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
冫
仌bīng冰bīng
Same sound today
冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.
Appears in
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