阴冷 (yīn lěng) — (of weather or a place) gloomy and cold, raw; (of a person's expression or atmosphere) somber, glum, cold

Definition

Describes weather or a place that is darkly, damply cold — colder and more uncomfortable than just 冷. Also used for a person's expression or mood: cold and grim.

adjective
(of weather or a place) gloomy and coldraw(of a person's expression or atmosphere) somberglumcold

Examples

  • 阴冷，。
    Zhè ge dì xià shì yòu yīn lěng yòu cháo shī, dài jiǔ le hěn nán shòu.
    This basement is both gloomy-cold and damp; it’s uncomfortable to stay long.
  • 阴冷，。
    Tā shuō huà de shēng yīn hěn yīn lěng, ràng rén bù gǎn jiē jìn.
    His voice sounded so cold and grim that people dared not approach him.
  • 阴冷，。
    Dōng tiān de běi fāng tiān qì yīn lěng, chū mén yào chuān hòu yī fu.
    In winter the northern weather is raw and cold; you need to wear thick clothes when going out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

阴yīngloomy
冷lěngcold

阴 means gloomy and 冷 means cold, giving raw, somber 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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng冷lěng
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.

Open 冷 →
Appears in
Weather

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