寒 hán freezing
freezing; cold
How to remember 寒: 𡨄 block up + ⺀ ice = freezing. The students block up the hole in the window with newspaper, but by morning ice covers the inside of their freezing flat.
Component breakdown
寒 = 𡨄 block up + ⺀ ice
- 𡨄 block up
- ⺀ ice
The students block up the hole in the window with newspaper, but by morning ice covers the inside of their freezing flat.
How it is used
- Literary 'cold, chilly' - colder and more written than everyday 冷 (lěng). 寒冷 (hánlěng) = cold (of weather/climate), 严寒 (yánhán) = bitter cold.
- 寒假 (hánjià) = winter vacation, paired with 暑假 (shǔjià) summer vacation.
- 寒暄 (hánxuān) = to exchange small-talk pleasantries; 寒 also hints at 'poor/humble' in classical usage.