Meaning of 清
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of water etc) clear; clean
- quiet; still
- pure; uncorrupted
- clear; distinct
- to clear; to settle (accounts)
- Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911)
- surname Qing
How to use 清
清 is most often used inside compounds like 清楚 (qīngchu, clear) and 清理 (qīnglǐ, to tidy up), and on its own it can mean clear water or settling a debt. Example: 这里的水很清。(Zhèlǐ de shuǐ hěn qīng.) The water here is very clear.
清 combines the water radical 氵 with 青 (qīng), which also gives the sound. Picture water so pure and still that you can see the fresh green-blue color of 青 through it, and you have "clear."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 清 (qīng) with 请 (qǐng, please) and 情 (qíng, feeling), which share the same 青 part but have different radicals and tones. Remember: water radical 氵 means clear, speech radical 讠 means please, heart radical 忄 means feeling.
清 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
清 qīng · clear · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 清.
| 清楚 | qīngchu | clear; distinct |
| 清醒 | qīngxǐng | clear-headed; sober |
| 清理 | qīnglǐ | to clear up; to tidy up |
| 清晨 | qīngchén | early morning |
| 清洁 | qīngjié | clean; to clean |
| 清洗 | qīngxǐ | to wash; to rinse; to clean; (fig.) to purge; to get rid of (corrupt individuals etc) |
| 清洁工 | qīngjiégōng | cleaner; janitor |
| 清明节 | Qīngmíng Jié | Qingming or Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day, celebration for the dead (in ea |
| 清除 | qīngchú | to clear away; to eliminate |
| 清晰 | qīngxī | clear; distinct |
| 清单 | qīngdān | list of items |
| 澄清 | chéngqīng | clear (of liquid); limpid |
Questions about 清
What does 清 mean?
清 (qīng) means "(of water etc) clear; clean; quiet; still" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 清?
清 is made of 1 character: 清 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 清 an HSK word?
Yes. 清 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is the second syllable of 清楚 written without a tone mark?
In everyday speech 清楚 is pronounced qīngchu, with 楚 in the neutral tone. You will hear qīngchǔ in careful reading, but the light second syllable sounds more natural.
How do I use 清 to talk about paying off money?
清 can mean to settle accounts, as in 还清 (huánqīng, to pay off completely) or 结清 (jiéqīng, to settle a bill). For example, 我把钱还清了。(Wǒ bǎ qián huánqīng le.) I have paid back all the money.