雪

• Pinyin: xuě
• Hanzi breakdown: 雪 = 雨 (rain radical on top) + 彐 (hand/comb) — rain that solidifies into flakes

Meaning

Snow. Refers to the white frozen precipitation that falls in cold weather.

This character is used in many weather-related expressions such as 下雪 (xià xuě, to snow) and 雪人 (xuěrén, snowman). It also appears in figurative expressions like 雪白 (xuěbái, snow-white). In northern China, heavy snowfall is common in winter months.

Examples

1. 外面下雪了，我们去玩吧！ It's snowing outside — let's go play!
2. 北京的冬天经常下雪。 It often snows in Beijing in winter.
3. 孩子们在雪里玩得很开心。 The children had a great time playing in the snow.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, seasons

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 今天下雪了。(It snowed today.)
• 雪很大。(The snow is heavy.)

Don't Say

• 雪在下 (Unnatural word order — say 在下雪; the verb phrase 下雪 should not be split this way in standard Chinese)

Origin & History

The character 雪 combines 雨 (yǔ, rain) on top with 彐 (jì) below, representing frozen rain falling from the sky.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal