冷静
れいせい · reisei · JLPT N3 · noun
composure
🧊 冷静 = cold 冷 + still 静: a cool, quiet head under pressure
冷 (rei) means cold and 静 (sei) means quiet or still. Together they mean staying cool and composed. English says the same thing with keep a cool head. Common phrase: 冷静になって, which means calm down.
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.'