Chinese Vocabulary about Winter

Winter is the coldest season of the year in some parts of the northern and southern hemisphere, this season is characterized by falling snow and freezing cold temperatures, usually exacerbated by strong winds. The season which usually lasts about three months is caused by the winter-stricken area being farthest away from the sun in the earth’s orbit around it.
　

Now let’s learn some basic words about winter and snow:

winter — dōng/dōng tiān冬/冬天	cold winter — hán dōng寒冬
snow — xià xuě 下雪	snowy — xià xuě de 下雪的
snowfall — jiànɡ xuě 降雪	snowflake xuě huā — 雪花
big snowflakes — é máo dà xuě 鹅毛大雪	feathery snowflakes — yǔ máo shì de xuě huā 羽毛似的雪花
the first snow — chū xuě 初雪	snow with rain — yǔ jiá xuě 雨夹雪
slight snow — xiǎo xuě 小雪	heavy snow — dà xuě 大雪
blizzard/snowstorm — bào fēnɡ xuě 暴风雪	sweep the snow away — sǎo xuě 扫雪

And what shall we wear in winter? Let’s have a look!

Then let’s learn some Chinese expressions talking about winter:

dōnɡ tiān hěn lěnɡ
冬天很冷。
It's cold in winter.
xià xuě le。
下雪了。
It’s snowing.
wài miàn xià xuě le。
外面下雪了。
It’s snowy outside.
kuài kàn! xià xuě le。
快看！下雪了。
Look! We have a snowfall.
kàn zhè xiē yǔ máo shì de xuě huā! zhōnɡ yú xià xuě le。
看这些羽毛似的雪花! 终于下雪了。
Look at these feathery snowflakes. Finally it starts to snow.
wā! jīn nián de chū xuě kě zhēn zǎo。
哇！今年的初雪可真早。
Wow! The first snow comes so early this year.
tiān qì yù bào shuō jīn tiān yǒu yǔ jiá xuě 。
天气预报说今天有雨夹雪。
The weatherman says it will snow with rain.
　

Now, let's appreciate an ancient Chinese poem about winter.

jiānɡ xuě 江雪 Snowy River
【唐】柳宗元
qiān shān niǎo fēi jué ，
千山鸟飞绝，
(A thousand mountains without a bird.)
wàn jìnɡ rén zōnɡ miè。
万径人踪灭。
(Ten thousand miles with no trace of man.)
ɡū zhōu suō lì wēnɡ，
孤舟蓑笠翁，
(A boat. An old man in a straw raincoat,)
dú diào hán jiānɡ xuě。
独钓寒江雪。
(Alone in the snow, fishing in the freezing river.)
Translated by Kenneth Rexroth
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