冻结

• Pinyin: dòng jié
• Hanzi breakdown: 冻 = 冫(ice radical) + 东 (phonetic); 结 = 纟(thread) + 吉 (phonetic)

Meaning

To freeze; to suspend, halt, or immobilize something. Used for assets, accounts, funds, or relations being put on hold.

Common in financial, legal, and diplomatic contexts. 资产冻结 (asset freeze), 账户冻结 (account freeze). Also used when diplomatic relations are frozen. Rarely used for physical freezing of objects.

Examples

1. 法院裁定冻结该公司的全部境外资产。 The court ruled to freeze all of the company’s overseas assets.
2. 两国因领土争端而冻结了外交关系。 The two countries froze diplomatic relations due to a territorial dispute.
3. 政府宣布冻结敏感项目的相关经费。 The government announced a freeze on funding for sensitive projects.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, law, diplomacy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 检察机关依法冻结了涉案人员的银行账户。(The procuratorate legally froze the bank accounts of the individuals involved in the case.)
• 由于资金违规使用，项目款项已全部被冻结。(Due to irregular use of funds, all project funds have been frozen.)

Don't Say

• 把肉冻结起来 — for physically freezing food use 冷冻 or 冻起来; 冻结 implies administrative or legal halting, not literal freezing of food

Origin & History

冻 (freeze/cold) + 结 (solidify/bind)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal