冷若冰霜 (lěngruòbīngshuāng): as cold as ice and frost

The image is anchored in classical Chinese: 汉·王逸《正部论》compares strict governance to ice and frost ("政如冰霜"), and 元·王实甫《西厢记》 describes Madam Cui's discipline as 凛若冰霜 — the same metaphor in a near-identical phrase. Modern 冷若冰霜 narrowed to describe interpersonal coldness, often a beautiful but distant woman.

usage

Most often applied to a person's demeanor or facial expression, especially women in literature and drama. Antonyms include 和蔼可亲 (hé'ǎi-kěqīn, kindly and approachable) and 平易近人 (píngyì-jìnrén, easy to approach).