冷 (lěng) — cold
Definition
Basic everyday word for 'cold' — weather, objects, or feeling chilly. 凉 is a milder cool (refreshing), 寒冷 is intense cold. Use 冷 for both temperature and the sensation it gives you.
adjective
cold
Examples
- 冷。Jīn tiān hěn lěng.It's cold today.
- 冷。Zhè bēi shuǐ tài lěng le.This glass of water is too cold.
- 冷？。Nǐ lěng ma? chuān shàng wǒ de yī fu ba.Are you cold? Put on my clothes.
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.
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.
Appears in
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