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着凉 (zháo liáng) — to catch a cold

Definition

着凉 (zháo liáng) means 'to catch a cold' — specifically from being cold (weather, no jacket, rain). Unlike 感冒, it focuses on the CAUSE (exposure to cold) rather than the illness itself.

verb
to catch a cold

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zuó tiān zhe le liáng, jīn tiān fā shāo le.
    He caught a cold yesterday and has a fever today.
  • ，着凉。
    Tiān qì biàn lěng le, xiǎo xīn bié zháo liáng.
    The weather has turned cold, be careful not to catch a cold.
  • 着凉，。
    Tā zháo liáng le, suǒ yǐ méi lái shàng bān.
    He caught a cold, so he didn't come to work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

着zhecatch
凉liángcoldness

着 means to catch, and 凉 is coldness.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

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 涼; 凉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng涼liáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 涼 combines 氵 (water) with 京, which gives the sound; the simplified 凉 is a later abbreviation.

Open 凉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5

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