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冻结 (dòng jié) — to freeze (water, ice, etc.); (figurative) to freeze (assets, accounts, prices, etc.)

Definition

冻结 pairs a literal sense ('water has frozen over') with a formal/financial sense ('to freeze assets, accounts, prices'). 冻 is the everyday verb for ice or food freezing; 冷冻 is specifically for food.

verb
to freeze (water, ice, etc.)(figurative) to freeze (assets, accounts, prices, etc.)

Examples

  • 冻结，。
    Hé miàn yǐ jīng dòng jié le, kě yǐ shàng qù huá bīng.
    The river has frozen over; you can go skating on it.
  • 冻结。
    Gōng sī xuān bù dòng jié suǒ yǒu yuán gōng de gōng zī.
    The company announced it would freeze all employees' salaries.
  • 冻结。
    Fǎ yuàn xià lìng dòng jié xián yí rén de zī chǎn.
    The court ordered the suspect's assets to be frozen.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

冻dòngfreeze
结jiécongeal

冻 (freeze) and 结 (congeal) mean to freeze until solid.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 凍; 冻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
冫Written in full as仌bīng
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng凍dòng
Same sound today

The traditional form 凍 pairs 冫 (ice) with 東 for the sound; the simplified 冻 is a later shorthand.

Open 冻 →

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 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí結jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Open 结 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Finance & Banking

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