冬

• General: The winter season.
• Calendaric: Specifically the 11th lunar month; this specific meaning often takes precedence in administrative, ritual, or dating formulas.
• Technical/Cosmological: In medical or alchemical contexts, associated with the Water element (水) and the kidneys, representing a state of contraction or inward-turning energy.

Functions almost exclusively as a noun or an attributive adjective. Unlike 春, it does not typically function as a verb.

• 冬 vs. 寒: Maintain the distinction between temporal position and sensory experience. 冬 refers to the time of year or cosmic position; 寒 refers to the sensation of cold.

Variants include U+51AC and U+9F15. These are orthographic shifts with no change in meaning.

Associated symbolically with dormancy, storage, hibernation, and "closing off." While it can suggest death or the end of a cycle in poetic contexts, it generally remains tied to literal cycles rather than purely abstract metaphor.