天寒地冻 (tiān hán dì dòng) — bitterly cold; freezing (weather or environment)

Definition

A vivid chengyu for extremely cold weather — the sky is frigid and the ground is frozen. Used in writing to emphasize harsh winter conditions.

idiom
bitterly coldfreezing (weather or environment)

Examples

  • 天寒地冻，。
    Běi fāng dōng tiān jīng cháng tiān hán dì dòng, chū mén yào chuān hòu yī fu.
    In the north, it's often bitterly cold in winter; you need to wear thick clothes when going out.
  • ，。
    Zài zhè tiān hán dì dòng de yè lǐ, tā hái zài wài miàn gōng zuò.
    On this freezing night, he is still working outside.
  • 天寒地冻，。
    Wài miàn tiān hán dì dòng, wǒ men zuì hǎo dài zài wū lǐ.
    It's freezing outside; we'd better stay indoors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

天寒sky is cold
天tiānsky寒háncold
主谓Subject + predicate
地冻ground is frozen
地dìground冻dòngfrozen
主谓Subject + predicate

The 天 is 寒 and the 地 is 冻, bitter cold everywhere.

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
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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 人人rénperson
  • 茻茻mǎnggrass

寒 shows 宀 (house), 人 (person), and 茻 (grass): a person sleeping in grass inside a house to keep out the cold.

Open 寒 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 凍; 冻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
冫Written in full as仌bīng
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng凍dòng
Same sound today

The traditional form 凍 pairs 冫 (ice) with 東 for the sound; the simplified 冻 is a later shorthand.

Open 冻 →

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