凝 (níng) — to congeal, to solidify; to concentrate (attention or mind)
Definition
凝 is a formal/literary verb: physically, things thicken and set (oil, blood, cream); figuratively, attention or mood gathers and focuses (凝神, 凝视, 凝重). Pair with 神, 视, 聚, 重 — not used in casual speech.
verb
to congealto solidifyto concentrate (attention or mind)
Examples
- 凝。Shuǐ miàn shàng de yóu níng chéng le yī céng bó mó.The oil on the water congealed into a thin film.
- 。Tā níng shén sī kǎo le yí huì r cái huí dá.He concentrated his mind and thought for a while before answering.
- 。Zhè chǎng wǎn huì níng jù le quán guó guān zhòng de mù guāng.This gala gathered the attention of audiences across the country.
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
疑
疑yí凝níng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
凝 pairs 冫 (ice, also written 仌) with 疑, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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