冬 dōng — winter · English

冬

dōng

winter

At a glance · 冬

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

冬字甲骨文象绳线两端打结之形，本义为终了；后借以表冬季。金文加仌，小篆从仌，隶作『冬』。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

冬本义为终尽，后专指冬季。

Structure

冬早期为象形，象绳端结饰以示终结，后加冰形表寒冬。

At a glance

Pinyindōng

Radical夂

Strokes5

UnicodeU+51AC

Character type象形

Theme自然

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English winter Dong originally pictured tied rope ends meaning an end, and was later used for winter.

Français hiver Dong représentait à l'origine des extrémités de corde nouées signifiant la fin, puis a désigné l'hiver.

Español invierno Dong originalmente representaba extremos de cuerda anudados que significaban el fin, y luego pasó a designar el invierno.

العربية شتاء دونغ كان في الأصل يصور أطراف حبل معقودة تعني النهاية، ثم استُخدم للشتاء.

Русский зима Дун изначально изображал завязанные концы верёвки — конец, позже стал означать зиму.

Common words

冬天dōng tiānwinter
冬季dōng jìwinter

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