天寒地冻 tiān hán dì dòng freezing cold

Explanation

形容天气极其寒冷。

describes extremely cold weather.

Origin Story

话说在一个寒冷的冬日，鹅毛大雪纷纷扬扬地下个不停，山川河流都披上了一层厚厚的银装。北风呼啸，像一群饿狼在肆虐地咆哮着，天地间一片苍茫，寒气逼人，真是天寒地冻。山村里的小路上，一个瘦弱的老人拄着拐杖，艰难地行走着。他要去看望生病的孙子，路途遥远，又加上天气恶劣，老人冻得瑟瑟发抖，他咬紧牙关，一步一步地向前走着。终于，老人到了孙子家，看到孙子安然无恙，老人心里充满了欣慰。

huà shuō zài yīgè hánlěng de dōng rì, é máo dà xuě fēnfēn yángyáng de xià ge bù tíng, shān chuān hé liú dōu pī shàng le yī céng hòu hòu de yínzhuāng. běi fēng hū xiào, xiàng yī qún è làng zài sì nüè de páo xiào zhe, tiān dì jiān yī piàn cāng máng, hán qì bī rén, zhēn shì tiān hán dì dòng. shān cūn lǐ de xiǎo lù shàng, yīgè shòu ruò de lǎorén zhǔ zhe guǎi zhàng, jiānnán de xíngzǒu zhe.

On a cold winter's day, a heavy snow fell unceasingly, covering mountains and rivers with a thick layer of white. A howling north wind raged, like a pack of hungry wolves. The world was shrouded in a gray and cold mist. A thin old man, leaning on his cane, slowly made his way on the snowy path. He was going to visit his sick grandson, a long journey made even more arduous by the harsh weather. Shivering with cold, he gritted his teeth and walked on, step by step, until he reached his grandson's house.

Usage

作谓语、定语；形容天气非常寒冷

zuò wèiyǔ、dìngyǔ；xióngróng tiānqì fēicháng hánlěng

Used as a predicate or attributive; describes extremely cold weather.

Examples

• 天寒地冻，人们都躲在家里不愿意出门。

  tiān hán dì dòng, rénmen dōu duǒ zài jiā lǐ bù yuànyì chūmén

  It's freezing cold; people don't want to go out.

• 凛冽的寒风吹来，让人感觉天寒地冻。

  lǐnliè de hánfēng chuī lái, ràng rén gǎnjué tiān hán dì dòng

  A cold and biting wind made it feel freezing cold.

Related Idioms

• 冰天雪地

• 寒风凛冽

Opposite Idioms

• 烈日炎炎

• 骄阳似火