Chinese word

凉水

Pronunciation

Pinyinliáng shuǐ

Meaning

  • nouncold water

Example

请给我一杯凉水。qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi liáng shuǐ

Please give me a glass of cold water.

Illustration for 凉水 (cold water)

More examples

夏天我喜欢喝一杯凉水。xià tiān wǒ xǐ huān hē yì bēi liáng shuǐ

In summer, I like drinking a glass of cold water.

Core concept

Water served cool rather than hot, with its temperature central to drinking or cooling.

Common phrases

  • 喝凉水hē liáng shuǐ

    drink cold water

  • 一杯凉水yì bēi liáng shuǐ

    a glass of cold water

Similar words

冷水léng shuǐ: Water that feels cold when drunk.
冰水bīng shuǐ: Very cold water with ice in it.

Definition in Chinese

未加热、温度较低的水,常用来解渴或降温。wèi jiā rè wēn dù jiào dī de shuǐ cháng yòng lái jié kě huò jiàng wēn

Word origin

凉水 (liángshuǐ, "cold water") is a transparent compound of 凉 (liáng, "cool") + 水 (shuǐ, "water"), so its meaning follows directly from its two parts.

Usage tips

  • In an everyday drink order, this word normally asks for water that is not hot; ice is a separate request, so the word alone does not guarantee an iced drink.

Opposites

Word lists with this word