小雪 (Xiǎoxuě): Minor Snow (20th of the 24 solar terms, around November 22)

Meanings

1 Minor Snow (20th of the 24 solar terms, around November 22)
2 light snow

Characters

小

Examples

小雪节气一到，北方开始下第一场雪。

Xiǎoxuě jiéqì yī dào, běifāng kāishǐ xià dì yī chǎng xuě.

When the Minor Snow solar term arrives, the north begins to receive its first snowfall.

今天小雪，气温明显下降。

Jīntiān xiǎoxuě, qìwēn míngxiǎn xiàjiàng.

Today is Minor Snow; temperatures have dropped noticeably.

Tips

culture

小雪 is the 20th of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms (二十四节气), falling around November 22nd. It signals the beginning of snowfall in northern China, though precipitation is still light — hence 'minor' snow. Traditional customs include making preserved meats (腊肉) and eating glutinous rice cakes (糍粑) in some regions. The 24 solar terms were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016.