冷水 literally means 'cold water' — it combines the adjective 冷 (lěng), meaning 'cold', and the noun 水 (shuǐ), meaning 'water'. Together, they form a compound noun referring to water that is at or near room temperature or chilled, but not ice-cold or frozen. It contrasts with 热水 (rè shuǐ, 'hot water') and 温水 (wēn shuǐ, 'warm water').

This term is commonly used in daily health and hygiene contexts — for example, drinking cold water after exercise, rinsing wounds, or washing produce. In traditional Chinese medicine, consuming too much 冷水 is sometimes cautioned against, especially on an empty stomach or during illness, as it’s believed to affect digestion. It also appears in cooking instructions (e.g., blanching vegetables in cold water to stop cooking) and household routines like cooling down cooked rice.