冰雪
bīng xuě · HSK 4
ice and snow
🧊❄️ 冰雪 = ice (冰) + snow (雪)
A straightforward compound: 冰 means ice and 雪 means snow. Together 冰雪 covers frozen water in both forms, often used figuratively for purity or harsh winter conditions.
冰 — ice radical 冫 + water 水
冰 means 'ice' and combines 冫 (the 'ice' radical, originally a pictograph of ice crystals) with 水 'water'. The radical 冫 is itself a simplified form of an older character for ice, so 冰 is essentially 'frozen water'. The form 氷 is a variant still used in Japanese.
雪 — rain 雨 + hand 彐 (originally broom 帚)
Originally an ideograph showing rain 雨 above a hand holding a broom, suggesting snow as 'rain that can be swept.' Over time the broom element simplified to 彐. The character has always meant snow, with later extended senses like 'to wipe away' (as in 雪恥, to wipe out shame).