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小雪 (Xiǎo xuě) — Light Snow, the 20th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar (around November 22–23); light snow (a small amount of snowfall)

Definition

小雪 (Xiǎoxuě) is a proper noun: the 20th of the 24 solar terms, around November 22. In lower case it also means 'a light snowfall' — a small amount of snow.

noun
Light Snow, the 20th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar (around November 22–23)light snow (a small amount of snowfall)

Examples

  • 小雪。
    Xiǎo xuě Shì èr shí sì jié qì zhōng de dì èr shí gè jié qì.
    Xiaoxue is the 20th of the 24 solar terms.
  • 小雪，。
    Jīn tiān de Xiǎo xuě hěn xiǎo, dì shàng zhǐ yǒu báo báo de yī céng.
    Today's light snow is very small; there's only a thin layer on the ground.
  • 小雪，。
    Dào le Xiǎo xuě jié qì, běi fāng jiù kāi shǐ lěng le.
    When the Xiaoxue solar term arrives, the north starts to get cold.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

小xiǎosmall
雪xuěsnow

Small 雪 names light snowfall and the solar term when it begins.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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
Climate & SeasonsWeather

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