液晶

• Pinyin: yè jīng
• Hanzi breakdown: 液 = 氵(water radical — a fluid or liquid substance) + 夜 (night — associated with dark, flowing substances); 晶 = 日 + 日 + 日 (three suns — extreme clarity, brilliance, and crystalline structure)

Meaning

Liquid crystal. A state of matter with physical properties intermediate between those of a liquid and a crystalline solid, widely used in display screen technology.

Most commonly encountered in 液晶显示器 (LCD — liquid crystal display) and 液晶屏 (LCD screen). Liquid crystal displays replaced cathode-ray tube screens and dominated consumer electronics from the 1990s until the rise of OLED technology. Still widely used in monitors, televisions, smartphones, and industrial equipment. Also appears in scientific and materials science contexts.

Examples

1. 液晶显示器凭借体积轻薄、功耗低和画面清晰等优点，在上世纪九十年代末迅速取代了体积笨重的阴极射线管显示器。 Thanks to their slim profile, low power consumption, and clear images, LCD monitors quickly replaced bulky CRT monitors in the late 1990s.
2. 这款旗舰手机搭载了新一代高刷新率液晶面板，在显示运动画面时几乎看不到任何拖影现象。 This flagship phone uses a new generation high-refresh-rate LCD panel, with almost no motion blur when displaying fast-moving images.
3. 科研人员正在探索将液晶材料应用于可弯曲电子设备的新型显示方案，以克服传统刚性面板在柔性设备中的应用局限。 Researchers are exploring new display solutions that use liquid crystal materials for flexible electronics, to overcome the limitations of traditional rigid panels in flexible devices.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, electronics, science, consumer goods

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 随着OLED成熟和成本下降，液晶显示器在高端电子市场的优势受冲击，厂商正加速转向新显示技术，缩减液晶产线已成趋势。(As OLED technology matures and costs fall, liquid crystal displays are losing their edge in the high-end electronics market, and manufacturers are rapidly shifting to new display technologies; reducing LCD production lines has become a trend.)
• 外加电场改变液晶分子排列后，透光率也会变化，液晶显示器正利用这一特性，精确控制像素透光来呈现图像。(When an applied electric field changes the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules, their light transmission also changes, and LCD screens use this property to precisely control pixel transparency and display images.)

Don't Say

• 这块液晶是固体 — 液晶 describes a state of matter with properties of both liquid and crystal, neither fully solid nor fully liquid; saying 液晶是固体 is a fundamental physical mischaracterisation; say 液晶是介于液态和固态之间的特殊物质 to accurately describe its intermediate nature

Origin & History

液 (liquid — 氵water radical + 夜 night; a fluid substance) + 晶 (crystal/clear — three 日 suns stacked; extreme clarity and brilliance)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal