About
清 (qīng) is a phono-semantic compound that pairs the water radical 氵 (shuǐ), indicating the semantic field, with 青 (qīng) as the phonetic component. (The character 青 by itself means green or blue and carries connotations of youth and freshness.) The core meaning is clear, pure, or unpolluted, originally referring to the visual clarity of clean water. This literal sense gave rise to a number of abstract meanings: moral purity, tranquility, lucidity of mind, and the settling of debts or accounts (as in making something clear). The construction neatly combines the element of water with a sound that evokes pristine transparency.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这条河的水很清澈。
清晨的空气很清新。
请把桌子清理干净。
她说话声音很清晰。
我们今天需要清洁房间。
他保持清醒的头脑。
这道菜的味道很清淡。
清洗蔬菜后要沥干水分。
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