冷静
lěngjìng · HSK 4
calm
❄️ 冷静 = cold (冷) + still/quiet (静) — cool-headed and unruffled
冷 means cold; 静 means still or quiet. Together they describe someone whose temperature and motion are both low — calm, sober, not agitated. English keeps the metaphor too: a 'cool head' stays 冷静.
冷 — ice radical 冫 + order 令
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 冫 (ice) supplies the meaning of coldness, while 令 (lìng, 'command/order') hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the chill of ice, 冷 broadened to mean cold in general, and figuratively cool, indifferent, or detached.
静 — 青 (blue/green) + 争 (contend/strive)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The right side 争 ('contend') originally suggested calming a dispute, while 青 lent the sound and a sense of clarity. Together they convey stillness after strife has settled, giving the modern meaning 'quiet, calm, still.'