霜

shuāng

相 + 雨

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

shuāng (noun) frost

shuāng (noun) frosting; white powder coating

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 雨 represents the meaning and 相 represents the sound.

Semantic: 雨 Phonetic: 相

About

霜 is a phono-semantic compound: 雨 on top gives the weather-related meaning, and 相 (xiāng) beneath indicates the sound. Its primary sense is frost, the icy white coating that forms in freezing weather, often in late autumn and winter. The character's link to bitter cold and stark whiteness led to figurative meanings of coldness, severity, the white hair of aging, and a stern, unfeeling expression. In literary usage, it frequently describes hoary hair or a frosty face.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

清晨地上结霜了。

Qīngchén dìshàng jié shuāng le.

Frost formed on the ground in the early morning.

冬天霜很常见。

Dōngtiān shuāng hěn chángjiàn.

Frost is very common in winter.

霜降之后天气更冷。

Shuāngjiàng zhīhòu tiānqì gèng lěng.

The weather gets colder after Frost's Descent.

她的态度像冰霜一样冷。

Tā de tàidù xiàng bīngshuāng yīyàng lěng.

Her attitude is as cold as ice and frost.

窗子上覆盖着一层薄霜。

Chuāngzi shàng fùgàizhe yī céng báo shuāng.

A thin layer of frost covers the window.

她每天使用面霜护肤。

Tā měitiān shǐyòng miànshuāng hùfū.

She uses facial cream every day to care for her skin.

岁月的风霜在他的脸上留下了痕迹。

Suìyuè de fēngshuāng zài tā de liǎn shàng liú xiàle hénjì.

The hardships of time have left marks on his face.

严霜摧残了花园里的娇嫩花朵。

Yán shuāng cuīcánle huāyuán lǐ de jiāonèn huāduǒ.

The severe frost damaged the delicate flowers in the garden.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 相

Component: 雨

霜