Meaning of 零下
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- below zero (esp. temperature)
How to use 零下
零下 is used mainly for temperatures, placed before the number with 度 (dù, degrees) after it. Example: 今天零下五度。(Jīntiān língxià wǔ dù.) It is minus five degrees today.
零 (líng) means zero and 下 (xià) means below, so 零下 is simply "zero below," the part of the thermometer under 0. Picture the short stroke in 下 hanging under the long top line, like the mercury dropping under zero.
Common mistake: Learners often put 零下 after the number, as in 五度零下, but it must come first: 零下五度. Also note that 零 is second tone (líng), not fourth tone like 令 (lìng).
零下 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.
零 líng · zero · 13 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
下 xià · down · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 零下.
| 坐下 | zuò xia | to sit down |
| 下次 | xià cì | next time |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon; p.m. |
| 下车 | xià chē | to get off or out of (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 楼下 | lóu xià | downstairs |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class |
| 下边 | xiàbian | under; the underside |
| 一下儿 | yīxiàr | erhua form of 一下[yi1 xia4] |
| 留下 | liúxia | to leave behind; to stay behind |
| 放下 | fàngxia | to lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside |
Questions about 零下
What does 零下 mean?
零下 (líng xià) means "below zero (esp. temperature)".
How do you write 零下?
零下 is made of 2 characters: 零 (13 strokes), 下 (3 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 零下 an HSK word?
Yes. 零下 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say a temperature above zero in Chinese?
You can use 零上 (língshàng), as in 零上三度 (língshàng sān dù), three degrees above zero. In everyday speech people usually just say the number, like 三度, and only add 零上 for contrast.
Can 零下 be used for things other than temperature?
It is almost always about temperature. For negative numbers in math or finance, Chinese uses 负 (fù), as in 负五 (fù wǔ), minus five.