lin6煉炼
Definition
To refine, purify, or smelt a substance to make it purer and more useful.
How it's used
Refers primarily to the industrial or chemical process of extracting pure substances from raw materials through heat or chemical treatment. While it shares the meaning of refining with 提煉, 煉 is often used as a shorthand in industrial contexts or when discussing the physical act of smelting metals. It is rarely used in abstract contexts like refining one's personality or skills, where words like 磨練 are preferred.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 練, which refers to practicing or training. Learners often mistake the two because they share a similar sound and visual component, but 煉 implies a transformative process involving heat or purification, whereas 練 is about repetitive action to improve a skill.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
