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滑冰 (huá bīng) — to ice skate, to skate

Definition

Ice skating — 滑冰 specifically uses 冰 (ice). Contrast with 滑雪 (skiing, on snow) and the general 滑 (to slide/slip). 溜冰 is a colloquial synonym, especially in Hong Kong/Taiwan usage.

verb
to ice skateto skate

Examples

  • 滑冰。
    Wǒ zhōu mò jīng cháng qù huá bīng.
    I often go ice skating on weekends.
  • 。
    Jīn nián dōng tiān wǒ huá le sān cì bīng.
    I skated three times this winter.
  • 滑冰。
    huá bīng Shì yí xiàng hěn hǎo de yùn dòng.
    Ice skating is a great sport.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

滑huáslide
冰bīngice

To 滑冰 is to 滑 on 冰; sliding on ice gives the meaning of skating.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
骨
骨gǔ滑huá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滑 pairs 水 (water) with 骨, which gives the sound.

Open 滑 →

Most 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
水水shuǐ
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.

Open 冰 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Sports & Athletics

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