(kōng qì) - air; atmosphere (of a place) in Mandarin
kōngqìTraditional: 空氣
Translation
air; atmosphere (of a place)
Word origin
A compound of 空 (kōng, empty) and 气 (qì, gas, breath), so the empty stuff we breathe.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 空 (kōng, empty) + 气 (qì, gas)
Stroke order
空
气
Examples
。
The air up the mountain is lovely and fresh.
，。
Open a window, the air in here is bad.
污。
Air pollution in the city is getting worse and worse.
。
People cannot live without air.
。
The atmosphere in the meeting room was a little tense.
空气 (kōngqì) is air in the physical sense: what you breathe, what gets polluted, what smells fresh after rain. 空气新鲜 (kōngqì xīnxiān) and 空气污染 (kōngqì wūrǎn) are the two collocations you will meet first.
It also stretches to the mood of a room, much as English uses "atmosphere". 空气很紧张 says the room went tense.
Two things to keep apart. 天气 (tiānqì) is the weather, the forecast; 空气 is the air itself. And the first character is first tone kōng, empty, not fourth tone kòng, which means spare time or a gap.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
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空气: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "空气" (air; atmosphere (of a place)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 41.