冬 - Dong Chinese dictionary

dōng

winter

Original meaning:

tip, extremity

Depicts a rope with knots at both ends. Originally written as 𠂂. Based on the original meaning "tip, extremity", now written as 終. The meaning later shifted to "winter" (the final season of the year), in which the 冫 (ice) component was then added to reinforce the meaning.

Components

𠂂 Sound Iconic component

zhōng

tip, extremity

Depicts a rope with knots at both ends. Modern form looks like unrelated 夂.

Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 𠂂 than it was in ancient scripts.

冫 Meaning component

bīng

ice

冫 is a component form of 冰.

Evolution

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze script

Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

冬

dōng

winter, 11th lunar month; winter

冬 (鼕)

Dōng

surname Dong

冬 (鼕)

dōng

(onom.) beating a drum; rat-a-tat

Most common words with 冬

Freq.	Word	Meaning
	冬天	winter
	冬	rat-a-tat
	冬季	winter
	冬眠	hibernation
	冬至	Winter Solstice, 22nd of the 24 solar terms 二十四節氣\|二十四节气 22nd December-5th January