凝

Phono-semantic compound:

冫 (ice) — semantic, indicates coldness, freezing, stillness.

疑 (의심할 의) — phonetic, provides the sound element (eung / níng).

According to Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), 凝 is treated as a variant / derived form of 冰 (“ice”), though this is more interpretative than historical.

The original meaning relates to ice forming, frost gathering, or liquid becoming solid, which later extended metaphorically to emotion stabilizing, mind focusing, or atmosphere becoming still.

Used in academic, scientific, and literary vocabulary:

응고 (凝固) — coagulation, solidification

응결 (凝結) — condensation

응시 (凝視) — fixed staring, concentrated gaze

응집 (凝集) — molecular cohesion

응축 (凝縮) — compression, condensation

응혈 (凝血) — blood coagulation

Beyond physical freezing, classical Chinese widely used 凝 to describe:

- stillness of the mind

- deep concentration

- a heavy or tense atmosphere

- emotion becoming fixed (sadness, longing)

Relationship to 冷 / 凍:

凍 (freeze) — actual freezing

凝 (congeal / solidify) — more abstract; includes emotional, optical, atmospheric stillness

冷 (cold) — temperature feeling

Characters sharing the 亿/疑 phonetic include:

擬 (to imitate)

儀 (ceremony)

疑 (to doubt)

凝 (to congeal)

Classical citations:

《詩經 · 小雅 · 白華》 (Book of Songs)

「白華菅兮，白茅束兮，之子之遠，俾我彊仕。心之憂矣，如或結之；不如凍之，如或凝之。」

“My heart is burdened as if bound together; better if it were frozen, as if congealed.”

This is one of the earliest metaphorical uses of 凝: “凝” = emotionally frozen / still.

《楚辭 · 九歌》 (Songs of Chu)

「魂兮歸來，冰泮水凝。」

“Return, O wandering soul; ice melts and waters freeze again.”

Shows natural freezing.

《漢書 · 司馬相如傳》 (Book of Han)

「氛埃不上，雲氣不凝。」

“Dust does not rise, and vapors do not condense.”

Here 凝 means to condense / concentrate.