冻

• Pinyin: dòng
• Hanzi breakdown: 冻 = 冫(ice radical) + 东 (east, phonetic)

Meaning

To freeze; frozen; to feel very cold. To turn into ice or become extremely cold.

Examples

1. 冬天外面太冷了，水管都冻住了。 It's too cold outside in winter — even the water pipes froze.
2. 把剩下的饺子放进冰箱冻起来吧。 Let's put the leftover dumplings in the freezer.
3. 出门没穿外套，我都快冻死了。 I went out without a jacket and I'm nearly freezing to death.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, cooking, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 水冻成冰了。(The water froze into ice.)
• 外面太冷，冻死我了。(It's so cold outside — I'm freezing to death.)

Don't Say

• '冻'是变冷的过程——已经是冰的状态用'冰冻的'或'冷冻的' (冻 is the process of becoming cold — for already frozen states, use 冰冻的 or 冷冻的)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character: 冫(ice radical) indicates coldness/freezing, 东 is the phonetic component.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal