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下雪 (xià xuě) — to snow

Definition

A common verb meaning 'to snow', used for the weather event itself (often with 了 or 正着 in the examples: 下雪了 / 下着雪呢). Focuses on the act of snow falling, not on accumulated snow, which is 雪.

verb
to snow

Examples

  • 下雪。
    Jīn tiān zǎo shàng xià xuě le.
    It snowed this morning.
  • 下雪。
    Zuó tiān xià le xià xuě chǎng dà xuě.
    It had a heavy snowfall yesterday.
  • 下雪。
    Wài miàn zhèng xià zhe xià xuě ne.
    It's snowing outside right now.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

下xiàfall
雪xuěsnow

下 means fall and 雪 snow; together they describe snow falling.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
彗
彗huì雪xuě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

雪 pairs 雨, showing rain, with 彗, giving the sound.

Open 雪 →
Appears in
Weather

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