Origin

The character combines ice (the left component, showing cold) with a stand or platform (the right component). Together they suggest the process of melting metal through heat—the opposite of freezing. The ice radical here represents temperature and heat control, while the platform component suggests the apparatus or foundational work involved in smelting. Over time, the character came to mean the act of melting or refining metals through controlled heating.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).