冰 meaning and stroke order
Ice; to chill sth; (of an object or substance) to feel cold
How to write 冰, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 冰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ice
- to chill sth
- (of an object or substance) to feel cold
- (of a person) cold
- unfriendly
- (slang) methamphetamine
How 冰 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Ice-cold冫 water 水.
Radical: 冫 (ice), shared by 26 characters on this site.
How to remember 冰
The two drops on the left, 冫, stand for ice, and the right side is 水 (shuǐ, water). Water with the ice marks beside it has frozen into 冰 (bīng), ice.
冰 appears in many everyday words like 冰箱 (bīngxiāng, refrigerator), 滑冰 (huábīng, to skate) and 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín, ice cream). It can also be a verb meaning to chill something. Example: 把啤酒冰一下。(Bǎ píjiǔ bīng yíxià.) Chill the beer for a bit.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side with three drops like 氵 in 河 or 洗, but 冰 has only two drops, 冫, the ice radical. Also keep the right side as 水 and do not swap it for 永 (yǒng), which looks similar but has an extra dot on top.
Common words with 冰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 冰箱 | bīngxiāng | refrigerator; (old) icebox | HSK 4 |
| 冰雪 | bīngxuě | ice and snow | HSK 4 |
| 冰山 | bīngshān | iceberg; ice-covered mountain | HSK 7-9 |
| 结冰 | jiébīng | to freeze | HSK 7-9 |
| 滑冰 | huábīng | to skate; skating | HSK 7-9 |
| 冰棍儿 | bīnggùnr | ice lolly; popsicle | HSK 7-9 |
| 冰淇淋 | bīngqílín | ice cream | |
| 冰冷 | bīnglěng | ice-cold | |
| 冰块 | bīngkuài | ice cube; ice chunk | |
| 冰激凌 | bīngjīlíng | ice cream | |
| 冰河 | bīnghé | glacier | |
| 冰川 | bīngchuān | glacier | |
| 冰冻 | bīngdòng | to freeze | |
| 冰毒 | bīngdú | methamphetamine |
冰 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 冰
How many strokes are in 冰?
冰 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 冰 mean?
冰 (bīng) means ice; to chill sth; (of an object or substance) to feel cold. A common word with it is 冰箱 (bīngxiāng), meaning "refrigerator; (old) icebox".
How do you pronounce 冰?
冰 is pronounced bīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 冰?
The radical of 冰 is 冫, which carries the idea of "ice". Dictionaries list 冰 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 冰?
The traditional form of 冰 is 氷. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 冰 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 冰 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 冰 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do I say I want my drink with ice or without ice?
Say 加冰 (jiā bīng) for with ice and 去冰 (qù bīng) or 不要冰 (bú yào bīng) for no ice. At bubble tea shops you will also hear 少冰 (shǎo bīng), less ice.
Can 冰 describe a person?
Yes. 冰 and 冰冷 (bīnglěng) can describe someone who is cold or unfriendly, as in 他的态度很冰冷 (Tā de tàidù hěn bīnglěng), his attitude is ice-cold. Be aware that in slang 冰 can also mean methamphetamine.