hon4 dung1 laap6 jyut6寒冬臘月寒冬腊月

Jyutpinghon4 dung1 laap6 jyut6

Yalehòhn dūng laahp yuht

Definition

The coldest time of the year; the severe cold of midwinter.

colloquialweathertime

How it's used

This idiom refers specifically to the coldest period of the year, usually around the twelfth lunar month. While it carries a literary tone, it is frequently used in casual speech to emphasize how biting the weather feels. It functions as a time marker to set a scene of extreme cold.

Examples

gan6呢paai4排hon4寒dung1冬laap6臘jyut6月，gei3記dak1得zoek3著do1多gin2件saam1衫。

It is freezing cold lately, remember to wear an extra layer.

nei5你喺hai2寒hon4冬dung1臘laap6月jyut6去heoi3游jau4水，seoi2真zan1係hai6好hou2大daai6膽。

You are very brave to go swimming during the coldest time of winter.

Common phrases

hon4寒dung1冬laap6臘jyut6月dung3凍bing1冰bing1冰

freezing cold during the peak of winter

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a literal description of a calendar month, but it is an idiomatic expression for the peak of winter cold rather than a specific duration on a Gregorian calendar.