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冰天雪地 (bīng tiān-xuě dì) — a world of ice and snow; (idiom) bitterly cold, snow-covered landscape

Definition

A chengyu describing a landscape covered in ice and snow — emphasizes the scene/setting rather than how cold it feels. 刺骨 focuses on the piercing sensation of cold, while 冰天雪地 paints the whole icy world around you.

phrase
a world of ice and snow(idiom) bitterly coldsnow-covered landscape

Examples

  • ，冰天雪地。
    Dōng tiān qù běi jí, kàn dào de quán shì bīng tiān-xuě dì.
    Going to the North Pole in winter, all you see is a world of ice and snow.
  • 冰天雪地，。
    Suī rán bīng tiān-xuě dì, dàn zhè lǐ de fēng jǐng què gé wài mí rén.
    Although it's a world of ice and snow, the scenery here is especially charming.
  • 冰天雪地。
    Tā cóng wèi jiàn guò rú cǐ zhuàng guān de bīng tiān-xuě dì.
    He had never seen such a spectacular world of ice and snow.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

冰天
冰bīngice天tiānsky
偏正Modifier + head
雪地
雪xuěsnow地dìground
偏正Modifier + head

冰天 pictures an icy sky, and 雪地 pictures snowy ground; together they evoke a bitterly cold, snow-covered landscape.

Characters in this word

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
冫
仌bīng冰bīng
Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

Open 冰 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesWeather

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.