verb / adjective HSK 6
to smelt · to refine (metal) · seductive · alluring
Meaning
冶 primarily means to smelt or refine metals, referring to the ancient craft of metalworking. As an adjective, it describes someone (especially a woman) as enchanting or seductively beautiful, with an old literary flavor.
Usage
冶 is rarely used alone in modern speech. It appears mostly in compound words like 冶炼 (to smelt) in industrial contexts, or 妖冶 (bewitchingly beautiful) in literary descriptions. The standalone character sounds quite archaic to contemporary speakers.
Examples
- 01这家工厂专门冶炼铜矿。.This factory specializes in smelting copper ore.
- 02她穿着妖冶的红裙，吸引了众人的目光。, .She wore a seductively beautiful red dress that attracted everyone's attention.
Common collocations
- 冶炼厂smelting plant
- 冶金工业metallurgical industry
- 妖冶动人enchantingly attractive
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines 冫(ice radical) and 台, though the connection to ice is not transparent. Historically it referred to the process of refining metals through heating, which became metaphorically extended to describe captivating beauty.