Meaning
澈 describes water that is extremely clear and transparent, where you can see all the way to the bottom. It conveys a sense of purity and crystalline clarity. This character is literary and often appears in poetic or formal contexts.
Usage
This character rarely appears alone in modern spoken Chinese. It's most commonly seen in the compound 清澈 (qīngchè), meaning 'clear and limpid.' The character has a distinctly literary quality and is more common in written, poetic, or formal registers than in everyday conversation.
Examples
- 01湖水清澈见底，可以看到水中的鱼儿游来游去。, .The lake water is so clear you can see the bottom, and you can watch the fish swimming back and forth.
- 02山间的泉水清澈甘甜，是最好的饮用水。, .The spring water in the mountains is clear and sweet, making it the best drinking water.
Common collocations
- 清澈见底so clear you can see the bottom
- 清澈的溪水clear stream water
- 清澈透明clear and transparent
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines the water radical 氵(shuǐ) with 彻 (chè), which serves as both a phonetic and semantic component suggesting 'penetrating through.' This reflects the core meaning of water so clear that light penetrates completely through it.