Definition
冷处理 is a compound noun that literally means 'cold treatment'. In its original sense it refers to a low-temperature industrial process for metals. More commonly in everyday Chinese, it is a metaphor for deliberately ignoring or postponing a sensitive issue or person — letting things 'cool down' rather than reacting immediately. You'll hear it in workplace or relationship contexts: 对这件事先冷处理一下 ('let's put this issue on ice for now').
n.
(metallurgy) cold treatmentsubzero treatment(figurative) deliberate non-response or postponement of an issue to let tensions cool
Examples
- 冷处理，。Zhè jiàn shì xiān lěng chǔ yíxià, děng dàjiā lěngjìng le zài tán.Let's put this matter on ice for now and talk about it once everyone has calmed down.
- 冷处理。Tā duì nàge wèntí cǎiqǔ le lěng chǔ de tàidù.He adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward that issue.
- 冷处理。Zhè zhǒng jīnshǔ jīngguò lěng chǔ hòu yìngdù huì tígāo.After cold treatment, this metal's hardness increases.
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