冷

Phono-semantic compound:

冫 (ice radical) - semantic, indicating cold, freezing.

令 (command, make happen) - phonetic, giving the sound 랭/냉.

Original sense: “to be cold,” both physically (temperature) and emotionally (attitude).

冷水 (냉수) — cold water

冷麵 (냉면) — cold noodles (Korean cuisine)

冷氣 (냉기) — cold air, chill; air conditioning (modern sense)

冷靜 (냉정) — calm, composed, dispassionate

冷笑 (냉소) — sneer, cold laugh

In Korean compounds, the character alternates between readings 랭 and 냉 due to phonological environment:

냉수 (cold water)

냉면 (cold noodles)

냉정 (cold-headed)

but also appears as 랭 when combined differently (e.g., 寒冷 한랭 “severe cold”).

In Buddhist texts, 冷 sometimes connotes detachment or transcendence of worldly passions, akin to “coolness of mind.”