滴水成冰
dī shuǐ chéng bīng
so cold that dripping water freezes; bitterly cold
Character by character
滴dī
drip
drip
水shuǐ
water
water
成chéng
become
become
冰bīng
ice
ice
Example
外面滴水成冰，你怎么只穿一件毛衣就出门了？
It is cold enough out there to freeze a drip of water; how could you go out in just a jumper?
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
The stock way to describe the depth of a northern winter, often in 寒冬腊月，滴水成冰. Literal in Harbin, a cheerful exaggeration further south.
Learn this in Lesson 22 · HSK 5: 冰城哈尔滨 (Harbin, the city of ice)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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