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凛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
凛lǐnto shiver with cold or fearz, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐncoldunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnto shiver with coldunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnto tremble with fearunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnafraidunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnapprehensiveunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnstrictunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnsternunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnsevereunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnaustereunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnawe-inspiringunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnimposingunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
凛lǐnmajesticunknown, 15 strokes, radical 冫, rank #79877, Very Hard
lǐn(lin3) T3
  1. 1to shiver with cold or fear
  2. 2cold
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

凛(凜)lǐn(lin3)

The character 凛 (lǐn) primarily conveys feelings of coldness or apprehension, often associated with shivering from cold or fear. It can describe a strict or imposing demeanor, expressing majesty or severity. This word is often used in contexts that evoke a sense of awe or intimidation.

Strokes15Radical冫Frequency#79877DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese literature, 凛 often describes characters or natural phenomena that evoke a sense of fear or respect, frequently appearing in poetry and descriptions of nature to illustrate the majesty of winter landscapes.

Memory Tip

Imagine a fierce winter wind that makes you shiver and feel afraid. The character 凛 looks like a person standing rigidly in the cold, their body trembling. The left side (亻) represents a person, and the right side (凌) has elements that suggest sharp coldness, linking to the sound 'lǐn'.

Meanings of 凛

lǐn(lin3)
1to shiver with cold or fear
2cold
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 凛

凛Simplified
凜Traditional
15Strokes
冫Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 凛

JasonAmy

Podcast: 凛

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 凛

Quick Contrast

冷 (lěng) vs 凛 (lǐn): Use 凛 when emphasizing a more intense or imposing coldness, often with a sense of majesty or fear, rather than just a simple state of being cold.

Usage Notes

Be cautious using 凛 in overly casual settings, as it carries a formal tone. It is often collocated with words like '寒' (hán, cold) or '威' (wēi, awe-inspiring). A common mistake is to use it interchangeably with '冷' (lěng), which means cold but does not carry the same emotional weight.

HSK Study Tips

Though not in the standard HSK levels, 凛 connects with themes of emotions and weather found in HSK vocabulary. Focus on related terms describing feelings or environmental conditions, as this will enhance understanding of its nuances.

Common Mistakes

Learners may confuse 凛 with 冷 (lěng), mistakenly using it in contexts about temperature. For example, saying '今天的天气很凛' (jīntiān de tiānqì hěn lǐn) is incorrect; the correct usage would be '今天的天气很冷' (jīntiān de tiānqì hěn lěng).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 凛

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Etymology of 凛

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

ice

Semantic (meaning)冫
+
Phonetic (sound)禀
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 凛

  1. 1The meaning half冫 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half禀 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayice
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 凛? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 凛?

Decomposition of 凛

IDS Structure⿰冫禀
凛Full Character
=
冫bing1
left
禀bing3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 凛?

How to say to shiver with cold or fear in Chinese

“to shiver with cold or fear” in Chinese is凛lǐn

The character 凛 (lǐn) primarily conveys feelings of coldness or apprehension, often associated with shivering from cold or fear. It can describe a strict or imposing demeanor, expressing majesty or severity. This word is often used in contexts that evoke a sense of awe or intimidation.

When to use 凛

Be cautious using 凛 in overly casual settings, as it carries a formal tone. It is often collocated with words like '寒' (hán, cold) or '威' (wēi, awe-inspiring). A common mistake is to use it interchangeably with '冷' (lěng), which means cold but does not carry the same emotional weight.

凛 or something close to it

冷 (lěng) vs 凛 (lǐn): Use 凛 when emphasizing a more intense or imposing coldness, often with a sense of majesty or fear, rather than just a simple state of being cold.

What learners get wrong

Learners may confuse 凛 with 冷 (lěng), mistakenly using it in contexts about temperature. For example, saying '今天的天气很凛' (jīntiān de tiānqì hěn lǐn) is incorrect; the correct usage would be '今天的天气很冷' (jīntiān de tiānqì hěn lěng).

Write 凛

凛

Practice writing 凛 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 凛

Words Containing This Character5
凛冽biting cold凜冽
凛lǐncold凜
大义凛然devotion to righteousness that inspires reverence (idiom)大義凜然
威风凛凛majestic威風凜凜
朔风凛冽The north wind is icy cold.朔風凜冽
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 凛冽 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 凛

You can say '寒风凛冽' (hán fēng lǐn liè), meaning 'the cold wind is piercing', to describe a very cold atmosphere.

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