Chinese word

冷汗

Pronunciation

Pinyinlěng hàn

Meaning

  • nouncold sweat

Example

面试时她差点流冷汗。miàn shì shí tā chà diǎn liú lěng hàn

She almost broke out in a cold sweat during the interview.

Illustration for 冷汗 (cold sweat)

More examples

老板当着大家的面批评他，他顿时心里冒冷汗。láo bǎn dāng zhe dà jiā de miàn pī píng tā tā dùn shí xīn lǐ mào lěng hàn

When his boss criticized him in front of everyone, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Core concept

Sweat brought on by fear, tension, or shock, with a chilly feeling that signals alarm rather than heat or exercise.

Common phrases

  • 冷汗直流lěng hàn zhí liú

    be drenched in a cold sweat

  • 心里冒冷汗xīn lǐ mào lěng hàn

    break out in a cold sweat

Similar words

虚汗xū hàn: Cold, sticky sweat caused by poor health or extreme tiredness.

Definition in Chinese

因害怕、紧张或惊讶等情绪引起的出汗，常给人以惊慌或尴尬的感觉，与因运动或天气导致的汗不同。yīn hài pà jǐn zhāng huò jīng yà děng qíng xù yín qǐ de chū hàn cháng gěi rén yǐ jīng huāng huò gān gà de gǎn jué yǔ yīn yùn dòng huò tiān qì dǎo zhì de hàn bù tóng

Word origin

The compound 冷 (lěng, "cold") + 汗 (hàn, "sweat") names the chilly sensation linked with emotional sweating rather than sweating caused by heat.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, action verbs such as 流 (liú, "to flow") or 冒 (mào, "to break out") commonly show that the reaction is happening, rather than merely naming the bodily sign.

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