滑冰
huábīng
In Chinese, ice skating is expressed as 滑冰 (huábīng) or 溜冰.
Meaning: the act, or the sport, of skating on ice (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 滑冰 | huábīng |
| 溜冰 | liūbīng |
Both terms refer to the act or the sport of skating on ice.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 滑冰 is composed of 滑, meaning to slide or glide and 冰, meaning ice. The term 溜冰 is composed of 溜, meaning to slide or slip and 冰, meaning ice.
Which one should you use?
滑冰 is the standard term used in sports and official contexts, while 溜冰 is a more colloquial way to refer to the activity in daily conversation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 溜冰儿 is used to convey the idea of ice skating casually in Beijing and certain northern areas.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both 滑冰 and 溜冰 function as both nouns (the sport) and verbs (the act of skating).
How do you pronounce it?
huábīng
Did you know?
- The character 溜 used in 溜冰 is also used to describe walking a dog, 溜狗, implying a leisurely stroll or letting something roam.
- The term 滑 can also mean 'slippery' or 'slick', and in a social context, it can describe someone who is cunning or 'slippery' in their dealings.
- The word 溜 can also mean 'to sneak away' or 'slip out' of a place unnoticed, sharing the same root of smooth movement.
Examples in context
- 我想去滑冰。I want to go ice skating.This sentence shows how to express the desire to go ice skating using 滑冰.Tatoeba #9987043 by GlossaMatik, translation #10011013 by DJ_Saidez
- 你更喜歡滑冰還是輪滑？Which do you enjoy more, ice skating or roller skating?This sentence uses 滑冰 to compare ice skating with roller skating.Tatoeba #13734230 by LeviHighway, translation #4635179 by CK
- 许多人爱好的一个冬季运动是溜冰。A winter sport that many people enjoy is ice skating.This sentence uses 溜冰 to describe a popular winter sport.Tatoeba #804931 by U2FS, translation #274905 by CK
- 我每个周末都去冰上滑冰。I go ice skating every weekend.
- 明天我们一起去滑冰吧！Let's go ice skating together tomorrow!
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about winter activities.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你会滑冰吗？Nǐ huì huá bīng ma?Can you ice skate?
- 伟 Wei我会一点，但是不算太好。Wǒ huì yīdiǎn, dànshì bù suàn tài hǎo.I can a little, but I'm not very good.
- 佳怡 Jiayi没关系，我们一起去滑冰吧。Méiguānxi, wǒmen yīqǐ qù huá bīng ba.It's okay, let's go ice skating together.
- 伟 Wei好啊，我们走吧。Hǎo a, wǒmen zǒu ba.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice skating” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
