清 (qīng) · clear; pure; clean

Meanings

1 clear; pure; clean
2 to clean up; to settle

Characters

清

qīng

clear; pure; clean

Examples

HSK 3

这条河的水很清。

Zhè tiáo hé de shuǐ hěn qīng.

The water in this river is very clear.

HSK 3

你说清楚了吗？

Nǐ shuō qīngchu le ma?

Did you explain it clearly?

HSK 5

经过仔细调查，他们终于查清了事故的原因。

Jīngguò zǐxì diàochá, tāmen zhōngyú cháqīng le shìgù de yuányīn.

After careful investigation, they finally clarified the cause of the accident.

Tips

usage

清 forms many compounds: 清楚 (qīngchǔ, clear), 清洁 (qīngjié, clean), 清醒 (qīngxǐng, sober/lucid), 清淡 (qīngdàn, light/bland), 清朝 (Qīngcháo, Qing Dynasty).

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form of 水)

Three-drops water on the left - the indexing radical. Anchors 清 as a quality of water: clear, transparent. From the clarity of clean water came the abstract senses pure, quiet, and clear-cut. Same family as 河, 海, 洗, 流.

phonetic

青 qīng

blue-green; clear

Right 青 supplies the sound exactly (qīng) and adds rich semantic reinforcement: 青 itself is the blue-green color of clear sky and clear water. Pairing 氵 with 青 doubles the imagery of clarity. Same phonetic family: 情 (feeling), 请 (please), 晴 (sunny), 精 (essence) - the qīng/jīng cluster.