Traditional: 凍
dòng HSK 5

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

冬天水会冻成冰。
Dōngtiān shuǐ huì dòng chéng bīng.
Water freezes into ice in winter.
冰箱里的肉冻硬了。
Bīngxiāng lǐ de ròu dòng yìng le.
The meat in the refrigerator is frozen hard.
她喜欢吃水果冻。
Tā xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ dòng.
She likes to eat fruit jelly.
水冻成冰了。
Shuǐ dòng chéng bīng le.
The water froze into ice.
肉要冻起来。
Ròu yào dòng qǐlái.
The meat needs to be frozen.

💡 Memory Tip

Imagine the character 冻: the left part 冫 is the 'ice' radical, and the right 东 (dōng) sounds like 'east'—think of 'east wind' bringing freezing cold to help remember it relates to freezing.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in tone and used in both spoken and written Chinese across formal and informal contexts. Common contexts include cooking/food storage (e.g., freezing leftovers), weather descriptions (e.g., feeling cold), and refrigeration processes.

📖 Grammar Points

Often used as a transitive verb (e.g., 冻鸡肉 - freeze chicken) or intransitively (e.g., 我冻坏了 - I'm freezing). Can be part of resultative complements like 冻僵 (frozen stiff) or 冻伤 (frostbitten).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese cuisine, freezing food is common for preservation, but some traditional dishes emphasize fresh ingredients, so 冻 might imply a practical rather than preferred method. The term also appears in idioms like 挨冻受饿 (endure hunger and cold), reflecting historical hardships.

🔄 Similar Words

冷 (lěng) means 'cold' as an adjective describing low temperature, while 冻 (dòng) emphasizes the action or result of freezing. For instance, 水很冷 (the water is cold) vs. 水冻住了 (the water froze).

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