verb HSK 5
Traditional 解凍
to thaw · to defrost · to unfreeze
Meaning
解冻 literally means to undo or release (解) freezing (冻). It's used both literally for thawing frozen food or melting ice, and metaphorically for unfreezing assets, resuming diplomatic relations, or warming up cold relationships.
Usage
Commonly used in cooking contexts when preparing frozen ingredients, and in financial or political contexts when restrictions are lifted. Native speakers use it for both gradual natural thawing and active defrosting. The metaphorical usage is particularly common in news and formal discourse.
Examples
- 01把肉从冰箱里拿出来解冻吧。.Take the meat out of the freezer to defrost.
- 02两国关系开始解冻，恢复了外交对话。, .Relations between the two countries began to thaw, and diplomatic dialogue resumed.
Characters
Common collocations
- 解冻食品to defrost food
- 自然解冻to thaw naturally
- 解冻资产to unfreeze assets
- 关系解冻relations thaw
Antonyms
Origin
Compound verb combining 解 (to release/undo) with 冻 (freeze), creating the logical meaning of reversing the frozen state.