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凍 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
凍dòngcold; to freeze, to congeal; jellyzg, 10 strokes, radical 冫
dòng(dong4) T4
  1. 1cold; to freeze, to congeal; jelly
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March 24, 2026

凍dòng(dong4)

The character 凍 (dòng) means 'to freeze' or 'to congeal', commonly used to describe the process of becoming cold or solid, especially in reference to liquids. It can also refer to the sensation of extreme cold or describe food items like jelly that have a firm consistency due to freezing. This term is used in both everyday contexts and culinary discussions.

Strokes10Radical冫
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, winter festivals often feature frozen foods and ice sculptures, making the term 凍 relevant during this season. Additionally, dishes like 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín, ice cream) reflect the enjoyment of frozen treats.

Memory Tip

Imagine a snowy mountain capped with ice where everything is frozen. The character 凍 has the radical 冫 (ice) on the left, which helps you remember that it relates to coldness. Picture 'dòng' as a 'dong' sound echoing through the icy air, reinforcing the freezing concept.

Meanings of 凍

dòng(dong4)
1cold; to freeze, to congeal; jelly
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 凍

凍Simplified
10Strokes
冫Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 凍

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Podcast: 凍

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AI Study Notes for 凍

Quick Contrast

冻 (dòng) vs 冷 (lěng) — use 冻 for the process of freezing or solidifying, while 冷 refers to a state of being cold.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone; 'dòng' is pronounced with a falling tone. A common mistake is to confuse it with the similar-sounding character 动 (dòng), which means 'to move'. It's often used in phrases like 凍結 (dòngjié, to freeze), so pay attention to collocations for accurate usage.

HSK Study Tips

Though not part of the official HSK levels, 凍 is a useful character for HSK 3-4 learners, especially when discussing weather or food. Focus on related vocabulary such as 冷 (lěng, cold) and 冰 (bīng, ice) to enhance your understanding.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 凍 (dòng) with 冷 (lěng), leading to incorrect expressions like '我觉得凍' (wǒ juédé dòng) instead of '我觉得冷' (wǒ juédé lěng), meaning 'I feel cold.' Ensure you use '凍' specifically for freezing contexts.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 凍

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Etymology of 凍

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 冫 represents the meaning and 东 represents the sound. Simplified form of 凍.

Memory Hint

ice

Semantic (meaning)冫
+
Phonetic (sound)東
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 凍

Phonosemantic compound. 冫 represents the meaning and 东 represents the sound. Simplified form of 凍.

  1. 1The meaning half冫 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half東 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayice
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 凍? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 凍?

Decomposition of 凍

IDS Structure⿰冫東
凍Full Character
=
冫bing1
left
東dong1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 凍?

How to say cold; to freeze, to congeal; jelly in Chinese

“cold; to freeze, to congeal; jelly” in Chinese is凍dòng

The character 凍 (dòng) means 'to freeze' or 'to congeal', commonly used to describe the process of becoming cold or solid, especially in reference to liquids. It can also refer to the sensation of extreme cold or describe food items like jelly that have a firm consistency due to freezing. This term is used in both everyday contexts and culinary discussions.

When to use 凍

Be cautious with the tone; 'dòng' is pronounced with a falling tone. A common mistake is to confuse it with the similar-sounding character 动 (dòng), which means 'to move'. It's often used in phrases like 凍結 (dòngjié, to freeze), so pay attention to collocations for accurate usage.

凍 or something close to it

冻 (dòng) vs 冷 (lěng) — use 冻 for the process of freezing or solidifying, while 冷 refers to a state of being cold.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 凍 (dòng) with 冷 (lěng), leading to incorrect expressions like '我觉得凍' (wǒ juédé dòng) instead of '我觉得冷' (wǒ juédé lěng), meaning 'I feel cold.' Ensure you use '凍' specifically for freezing contexts.

Write 凍

凍

Practice writing 凍 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 凍

Words Containing This Character19
冻dòngto freeze凍
冷冻lěngdòngto freeze冷凍
冻结dòngjiéto freeze (water etc)凍結
冻死to freeze to death凍死
果冻gelatin dessert果凍
冰冻to freeze冰凍
解冻to melt解凍
速冻to quick-freeze速凍
防冻antifreeze防凍
冻土frozen earth凍土
冻伤frostbite凍傷
天寒地冻cold weather, frozen ground (idiom); bitterly cold天寒地凍
霜冻frost霜凍
冻疮frostbite凍瘡
冷冻库freezer compartment冷凍庫
冻害(agriculture) freezing injury凍害
冻肉cold or frozen meat凍肉
封冻to freeze over (of water or land)封凍
冻雨sleet凍雨
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 冻 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 凍

You can say '水凍了' (shuǐ dòng le) which means 'the water has frozen.'

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