guòdōng: 过冬 - To get through the winter, To overwinter

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• Summary: “Guòdōng” (过冬) is a common Chinese term that literally means “to pass the winter.” It's used for people, animals, and plants surviving the cold season, but it's also a powerful metaphor for enduring any difficult period, such as an economic recession or personal hardship. Understanding “guòdōng” offers insight into the Chinese value of resilience and the practical preparations associated with surviving a long, cold winter.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): guòdōng
• Part of Speech: Verb Phrase (Verb-Object)
• HSK Level: N/A (but uses HSK 2/3 characters)
• Concise Definition: To pass or live through the winter season.
• In a Nutshell: “Guòdōng” is the act of enduring and surviving winter. It's not just about the season passing; it's about what you do to make it through. This can mean a bear hibernating, a family stocking up on food and fuel, or a company cutting costs to survive a market downturn. The core idea is endurance with the expectation of a better time (spring) to come.

• 过 (guò): This character means “to pass,” “to cross,” or “to go through.” Think of it as crossing a bridge or getting through an experience from one side to the other.
• 冬 (dōng): This character means “winter.” It's one of the four seasons.
• Together, 过 (guò) + 冬 (dōng) literally means “to pass through the winter,” perfectly capturing the idea of enduring the season until it's over.

In many parts of China, especially the north, winters are long and harsh. Historically, surviving the winter was a major annual challenge that required significant preparation. The concept of 过冬 (guòdōng) is therefore deeply ingrained in the culture. It's not a passive experience; it's an active one. It involves:

• Stockpiling: Traditionally, this meant storing enormous piles of Chinese cabbage (大白菜 dà báicài), potatoes, and other vegetables that could last for months.
• Preserving: Making cured meats (腊肉 làròu) and pickled vegetables (泡菜 pàocài) was essential.
• Staying Warm: Gathering fuel, sealing windows, and wearing thick, padded clothing.

This mindset of preparation and endurance extends metaphorically. When Chinese people talk about a company “过冬,” they mean it's entering a period of low revenue and must conserve resources (cut costs, reduce hiring) to survive until the market improves. This reflects a cultural value of pragmatism and resilience (吃苦耐劳 chīkǔnàiláo - to bear hardships and stand hard work). Comparison to Western Culture: The closest English concept might be “to weather the storm” or “to hunker down for the winter.” However, the English word “hibernate” is a common but misleading translation. “Hibernate” is a specific biological process of dormancy, mostly for animals. While 过冬 can describe animals hibernating (though 冬眠 dōngmián is more precise), its primary cultural use for humans is about conscious preparation and active endurance, not sleeping through the hardship.

过冬 is used frequently in both literal and figurative contexts.

• Literal Usage: This is the most straightforward meaning. It's used when talking about how people, animals, or even plants survive the cold season.
  • “My grandparents go to the south every year to 过冬.”
  • “How do squirrels 过冬?”
• Figurative Usage (The “Economic Winter”): This is extremely common in business and economic news. A “winter” refers to a recession, a market downturn, or a difficult period for an industry.
  • “The tech industry is preparing to 过冬.” (Meaning, they are bracing for a period of low investment and slow growth).
  • “Our company needs a clear strategy to help us 过冬.”
• Personal Hardship: It can also describe getting through a personal rough patch, like a period of unemployment, illness, or loneliness.
  • “After he lost his job, he had to rely on his savings to 过冬.”

The term carries a neutral-to-slightly-negative connotation, as it implies a period of difficulty that must be endured rather than enjoyed.

• Example 1:
  • 熊在洞里过冬。
  • Pinyin: Xióng zài dòng lǐ guòdōng.
  • English: The bear hibernates (passes the winter) in the cave.
  • Analysis: A classic, literal example of how an animal gets through the winter.
• Example 2:
  • 很多北方老人喜欢去海南过冬。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō běifāng lǎorén xǐhuān qù Hǎinán guòdōng.
  • English: Many elderly people from the north like to go to Hainan to spend the winter.
  • Analysis: Here, “guòdōng” means to reside somewhere for the duration of the winter, specifically to avoid the cold.
• Example 3:
  • 我们家买了很多大白菜，准备过冬。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen jiā mǎile hěn duō dà báicài, zhǔnbèi guòdōng.
  • English: Our family bought a lot of Chinese cabbage to prepare for the winter.
  • Analysis: This reflects the traditional, practical act of stocking up on food to get through the winter.
• Example 4:
  • 由于经济不景气，公司必须勒紧裤腰带过冬。
  • Pinyin: Yóuyú jīngjì bù jǐngqì, gōngsī bìxū lēi jǐn kùyāodài guòdōng.
  • English: Due to the economic downturn, the company must tighten its belt to get through this winter.
  • Analysis: A very common and vivid figurative use. “勒紧裤腰带” (tighten the belt) and “过冬” (get through the winter) are often used together in business contexts.
• Example 5:
  • 我刚毕业，还没找到工作，只能先靠父母的钱过冬。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ gāng bìyè, hái méi zhǎodào gōngzuò, zhǐ néng xiān kào fùmǔ de qián guòdōng.
  • English: I just graduated and haven't found a job yet, so I can only rely on my parents' money to get through this difficult period for now.
  • Analysis: This shows the personal, metaphorical use of “guòdōng” to mean surviving a tough time.
• Example 6:
  • 这些热带植物在室外无法过冬。
  • Pinyin: Zhèxiē rèdài zhíwù zài shìwài wúfǎ guòdōng.
  • English: These tropical plants cannot survive the winter outdoors.
  • Analysis: A literal usage for plants. “Overwinter” is a perfect translation here.
• Example 7:
  • 你需要一件厚一点的羽绒服才能在哈尔滨过冬。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xūyào yí jiàn hòu yìdiǎn de yǔróngfú cái néng zài Hā'ěrbīn guòdōng.
  • English: You need a thicker down jacket to be able to get through the winter in Harbin.
  • Analysis: A practical sentence about preparation for a literal winter.
• Example 8:
  • 只要我们团结一致，就一定能过冬。
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào wǒmen tuánjié yízhì, jiù yídìng néng guòdōng.
  • English: As long as we are united, we can definitely get through this winter (difficult time).
  • Analysis: A motivational, figurative use often heard from leaders during a crisis.
• Example 9:
  • 他开玩笑说，要多吃点长胖好过冬。
  • Pinyin: Tā kāi wánxiào shuō, yào duō chī diǎn zhǎng pàng hǎo guòdōng.
  • English: He joked that he needs to eat more and get fat to better get through the winter.
  • Analysis: This is a common, humorous phrase in China, alluding to animals storing fat for hibernation.
• Example 10:
  • 这个行业正在经历一个漫长的寒冬，很多小公司都不知道怎么过冬。
  • Pinyin: Zhège hángyè zhèngzài jīnglì yí ge màncháng de hándōng, hěn duō xiǎo gōngsī dōu bù zhīdào zěnme guòdōng.
  • English: This industry is experiencing a long, cold winter, and many small companies don't know how to survive it.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses both “寒冬” (cold winter) and “过冬” (get through winter) to powerfully describe an industry-wide recession.

• Mistake 1: Using “过冬” for a fun winter vacation.
  • Incorrect: 我要去瑞士滑雪过冬。 (Wǒ yào qù Ruìshì huáxuě guòdōng.)
  • Reason: This sounds strange because 过冬 implies endurance, not enjoyment. Skiing is a leisure activity.
  • Correct: 我要去瑞士滑雪度假。 (Wǒ yào qù Ruìshì huáxuě dùjià.) - “I'm going to Switzerland to ski for my vacation.”
• False Friend: “Hibernate”
  • While you can translate “The bear hibernates” as 熊在过冬, the Chinese term is much broader. A person cannot “hibernate,” but they can 过冬. If you want to be specific about animal hibernation, the more precise term is 冬眠 (dōngmián).
  • Example: You would never say a person is in a state of 冬眠 (dōngmián) unless you are making a very strange joke.
• Connotation is Endurance, Not Celebration: Remember that 过冬 focuses on getting through the winter. A related term, 过年 (guònián), means to celebrate the (Chinese) New Year, which happens during winter but has a joyful, celebratory connotation. Don't confuse the two.

• 冬眠 (dōngmián) - To hibernate. The specific biological term for what animals do. It's a way to 过冬.
• 冬天 (dōngtiān) - Winter. The noun for the season itself. You 过 (guò) this 天 (tiān), or season.
• 过年 (guònián) - To celebrate the Chinese New Year. A festive event that is a key part of 过冬 for most Chinese people.
• 避暑 (bìshǔ) - To escape the summer heat; to go to a cooler place for the summer. This is the conceptual opposite of going south to 过冬.
• 寒冬 (hándōng) - A cold/harsh winter. Often used figuratively to mean a particularly difficult economic time (经济寒冬 jīngjì hándōng).
• 熬 (áo) - To endure, to simmer, to get through a tough time. You can say 熬过冬天 (áo guò dōngtiān), which emphasizes the slow, difficult process of enduring the winter.
• 四季 (sìjì) - The four seasons. 冬 (dōng) is the last of the four.