冬 dōng winter
How to remember 冬: 夂 pursue + ⺀ ice crystals = winter. The little girl pursues the first ice crystals drifting across the playground and shouts "It is finally winter!"
Component breakdown
冬 = 夂 pursue + ⺀ ice crystals
- 夂 pursue
- ⺀ ice crystals
The little girl pursues the first ice crystals drifting across the playground and shouts "It is finally winter!"
How it came to be
A cord knotted at both ends, the end of a length, with two strokes of ice added beneath. The end of the year, when the water sets hard.
How it is used
- Winter - 冬天 (dōngtiān) / 冬季 (dōngjì) winter; 寒冬 (hándōng) the dead of winter.
- Collocations: 冬眠 (dōngmián) hibernate, 冬奥会 (Dōng'àohuì) Winter Olympics, 过冬 (guòdōng) to get through the winter.
- The 冫 at the bottom is the ice radical - fitting for the cold season.
Characters built with 冬
Words with 冬
Example sentences
- 冬天容易感冒。 Dōngtiān róngyì gǎnmào.It's easy to catch a cold in winter.
- 冬天天气太冷了。 Dōngtiān tiānqì tài lěng le.The winter weather is too cold.
- 初冬时节，他还坚持晨跑。 Chūdōng shíjié, tā hái jiānchí chénpǎo.He still insists on running in the morning even though it's early winter.