Meaning
冬天 refers to the coldest season of the year, winter. It is one of the four seasons (四季) and typically associated with cold weather, snow, and shorter days. In Chinese culture, winter is often linked to rest, preservation, and the traditional Spring Festival (春节) preparation period.
Usage
Native speakers use 冬天 as the standard, neutral term for winter in both spoken and written Chinese. It commonly appears with weather descriptions, seasonal activities, and time expressions. Unlike English, Chinese doesn't typically use 'in winter'—instead saying 冬天很冷 (winter is cold) directly.
Examples
- 01北京的冬天很冷，常常下雪。, .Beijing's winter is very cold, and it often snows.
- 02我不喜欢冬天，因为太冷了。, .I don't like winter because it's too cold.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个冬天
Common collocations
- 寒冷的冬天cold winter
- 过冬to pass the winter, to winter
- 入冬to enter winter
- 隆冬midwinter, the depths of winter
Antonyms
Origin
The character 冬 originally depicted the end (终) of the year in oracle bone script, representing the final season. 天 literally means 'sky' or 'day,' and combining them creates 'winter season/time.'