冷门 (lěng mén) — an unpopular or neglected field, subject, or ar…

Definition

Means 'unpopular or neglected' (a field, subject, contestant) — literally 'cold door.' Also used in sports for an 'upset' when an underdog wins.

noun

an unpopular or neglected fieldsubjector areaan upset (in a competition, e.g., a surprise win by an underdog)

。
Kǎo gǔ xué suàn shì bǐ jiào lěng mén de zhuān yè.
Archeology is a relatively unpopular major.
。
Zhè cì bǐ sài bào chū le yí gè lěng mén.
The competition produced an upset.
，。
Tā yuán běn shì gè lěng mén xuǎn shǒu, méi xiǎng dào zuì hòu ná le jīn pái.
He was originally an unknown competitor, but unexpectedly won the gold medal.

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; unpopular

冷 (unpopular) describes 门 (field), making an overlooked branch or upset.

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

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in