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The character 凍 (dōng/freeze) evolved from ancient pictographs depicting ice formations. Its structure combines 冫 (ice radical) with 東 (east), suggesting the cold winds from the east that bring freezing conditions. In ancient Chinese philosophy, the east was associated with spring and wood elements, but 凍 represents the opposite - winter's harshness. Over centuries, the character maintained its core meaning of freezing, congealing, or being ice-cold, appearing in classical texts describing frozen rivers and bitter cold. Arrived in Japan: The character 凍 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems, possibly through Buddhist texts and official missions to the Tang court. It appears in early Japanese dictionaries like the 9th-century 'Wamyō Ruijushō' with the kun'yomi reading 'kōru' (to freeze) and on'yomi 'tō', indicating its establishment in Japanese by the Heian period.