寒

• Physical/Atmospheric: Cold, chilly, freezing; typically denotes a piercing or wintry cold associated with climate rather than a momentary temperature drop.
• Temporal: Winter, or the peak of the cold season.

// Social/Metaphorical: Poverty and humble origins (e.g., 寒門 //hánmén*, "humble family"); refers to austerity or low social standing, derived from a lack of fuel or insulation in poor dwellings.

• Modifier/Predicate: Used as an adjective.
• Noun: Used as a substantive referring to "the cold" or "winter."
• Verbal sense: Occasionally suggests the process of becoming cold or feeling a chill, usually supported by surrounding context.

// Contrast with 冷 (//lěng*): 寒 tends toward objective, seasonal, or climatic states and often implies endurance or exposure to the elements. 冷 is more frequently associated with sudden chills, specific sensory perceptions, or emotional detachment/indifference.

// Tang-period reading: //hɑn (Fanqie: 胡安).

In early texts, it is necessary to distinguish whether the glyph describes a sensory quality (cold) or a specific calendar period (winter).