verb HSK 5
Traditional 凍結
dòng jié
to freeze · to freeze over · to freeze (assets/accounts)

Meaning

冻结 literally means 'to freeze solid.' It describes the process of liquid turning into ice, but is commonly used figuratively to mean freezing bank accounts, assets, negotiations, or any process that becomes immobilized or suspended.

Usage

In everyday speech, 冻结 is frequently used in financial and legal contexts (freezing accounts, assets). It's also used literally for weather-related freezing. The word carries a sense of official action or natural process causing something to stop moving or changing.

Examples

  1. 01
    银行已经冻结了他的账户。
    Yín háng jīng dòng jié le de zhàng .
    The bank has already frozen his account.
  2. 02
    冬天湖面完全冻结了。
    Dōng tiān miàn wán quán dòng jié le.
    In winter, the lake surface completely froze over.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 冻结账户
    dòng jié zhàng
    to freeze an account
  • 冻结资产
    dòng jié chǎn
    to freeze assets
  • 冻结工资
    dòng jié gōng
    to freeze wages
  • 河水冻结
    shuǐ dòng jié
    the river froze over

Antonyms

Origin

The compound combines 冻 (freeze) with 结 (to solidify/form), emphasizing the process of becoming solid through freezing.

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