Chinese word

温

Pronunciation

Pinyinwēn

Meaning

  • adjectivelukewarm

Example

这汤太温了，不够热。zhè tāng tài wēn le bú gòu rè

This soup is too lukewarm; it isn't hot enough.

Illustration for 温 (lukewarm)

More examples

我喜欢喝温水，不喜欢太烫的茶。wǒ xǐ huān hē wēn shuǐ bù xǐ huān tài tàng de chá

I like drinking lukewarm water, but I don't like tea that is too hot.

Core concept

Heat has settled into the middle range, leaving food or liquid warmer than cool but not hot enough to satisfy.

Common phrases

  • 温水wēn shuǐ

    lukewarm water

  • 太温了tài wēn le

    too lukewarm

Similar words

热rè: Clearly hot, with a noticeably high temperature when touched.
烫tàng: Very hot and likely to burn skin on contact.
凉liáng: Cool and low in temperature, so that it feels cold to the touch.

Definition in Chinese

表示介于热与冷之间且不足以称为热的状态，多用于形容食物或液体偏凉、不够烫而影响口感或使用感。biǎo shì jiè yú rè yǔ lěng zhī jiān qiě bù zú yǐ chēng wéi rè de zhuàng tài duō yòng yú xíng róng shí wù huò yè tǐ piān liáng bú gòu tàng ér yíng xiǎng kóu gǎn huò shǐ yòng gǎn

Word origin

温 (wēn, "lukewarm; warm") is the simplified form of 溫 (wēn, "lukewarm; warm"), whose water radical marks the liquid-related sense and whose other component mainly indicates the sound.

Usage tips

  • In restaurant conversation, 温 (wēn, "not hot enough") often comments on serving temperature and can signal that soup or a drink needs reheating.

Other meanings

  • warmadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word