Chinese word

冷水

Pronunciation

Pinyinlěng shuǐ

Meaning

  • nouncold water

Example

我口渴了，给我一杯冷水。wǒ kóu kě le gěi wǒ yì bēi léng shuǐ

I'm thirsty, so give me a glass of cold water.

Illustration for 冷水 (cold water)

More examples

夏天喝冷水很解渴。xià tiān hē léng shuǐ hěn jié kě

In summer, drinking cold water really quenches your thirst.

Core concept

A drinkable amount of plain water whose temperature is clearly below room temperature.

Common phrases

  • 一杯冷水yì bēi léng shuǐ

    a glass of cold water

  • 喝冷水hē léng shuǐ

    drink cold water

  • 用冷水洗脸yòng léng shuǐ xí liǎn

    wash one's face with cold water

Similar words

冰水bīng shuǐ: Very cold drinking water cooled with ice or containing pieces of ice.
凉水liáng shuǐ: Slightly cool drinking water whose temperature is close to room temperature.
温水wēn shuǐ: Slightly warm drinking water with a temperature close to that of the body.
热水rè shuǐ: Hot drinking water that can cause a burn if sipped without care.

Definition in Chinese

温度明显低于常温的水，通常指可直接饮用的冰镇水或加入冰块的水。wēn dù míng xiǎn dī yú cháng wēn de shuǐ tōng cháng zhǐ kě zhí jiē yǐn yòng de bīng zhèn shuǐ huò jiā rù bīng kuài de shuǐ

Word origin

The compound 冷水 (lěngshuǐ, "cold water") joins 冷 (lěng, "cold") + 水 (shuǐ, "water"), so both its temperature and substance are stated directly.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase can describe water that is merely not warm, but the Chinese word normally suggests a clearly chilled drinking temperature, so it is stronger than a vague request for cool water.

Opposites

Related words

  • 冷水澡léng shuí zǎocold showernoun
  • 冷水浴léng shuǐ yùcold-water bathnoun

Word lists with this word