Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (冫) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (疑) occupies the remaining two-thirds. Ensure the right side does not crowd the ice radical.
1. Meaning
to congeal, freeze, or solidify
to concentrate attention or focusto stare intentlyto coagulate
VerbFormal#physics#mental state#state of matter#vision
Sample Usage
天气太冷，水都凝固了。
tiān qì tài lěng, shuǐ dōu níng gù le.
The weather is too cold, the water has completely solidified.
他凝视着远方。
tā níng shì zhe yuǎn fāng.
He is gazing intently into the distance.
2. Sound
/[niŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35
凝
níngning2
|
++
´(35)
=níng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
ning
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
n
Type: Alveolar Nasal
Sounds like: n sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air passes completely through nose.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed firmly against the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ing rhymes with sing
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to the top, exactly like the English upward inflection when asking 'What?' in surprise.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, the initial tone shifts slightly to a higher rising pitch, though typically treated as a standard rising tone.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with nián (year) or níng in different tones; ensure the nasal ending is crisp [-ing] rather than relaxed [-in].
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid-low pitch and sweep your hand sharply upward and forward, matching the rising inflection of an incredulous question: 'Really?'
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 16 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (冫) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right component (疑) occupies the remaining two-thirds. Ensure the right side does not crowd the ice radical.
4. Components
Radical冫 · Ice radical (ice, cold, frost)
Semantic Clue (形旁):冫 (indicates freezing, solidifying, or cold states)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):疑 (original sound: níng)
Ice (冫) meets doubt or hesitation (疑)—when water gets so cold it hesitates to flow, it congeals into ice.
冫 Ice / Cold
疑 To doubt / To suspect (provides pronunciation and complex shape)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
6· Phonetic Root: 疑 (yí)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the ice radical (冫) to represent freezing and the phonetic element 疑 (níng), which originally depicted a person standing with a walking stick hesitating on a path.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred strictly to water freezing or turning to ice. Over time, it expanded metaphorically to describe anything coming together, thickening, or focusing intensely (like thoughts or gazes locking into place).
The phonetic component 疑 itself gave rise to words related to uncertainty.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
ngưng
Mandarin Tone 2 (rising) corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese hỏi or sắc tone path depending on historical layers, mapping to ngưng.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ギョウ (gyō) / Kun: こ.凝る (ko.goru), こ.凝らす (ko.korasu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
응
Sound Shift Bridge: The -ing ending correlates with Sino-Xenic -ng finals.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Picture an icy winter day (冫) where you stand hesitating and doubting (疑), until your breath and thoughts completely congeal and freeze in place.