‘低温’ (dī wēn) literally combines ‘低’ (dī), meaning ‘low’, and ‘温’ (wēn), meaning ‘temperature’ or ‘warmth’. Together, it means ‘low temperature’ as a noun — not an adjective. It refers to objectively cold thermal conditions, typically measured in degrees Celsius, and is commonly used in scientific, medical, agricultural, and everyday contexts.

This term appears frequently when discussing weather forecasts (e.g., winter lows), food storage (refrigeration and freezing), animal hibernation, or human health issues like hypothermia. Unlike the adjective ‘冷’ (lěng, ‘cold’), which expresses subjective feeling or general chill, ‘低温’ emphasizes quantifiable, often clinically or environmentally significant cold — for instance, ‘低温环境’ (a low-temperature environment) or ‘低温保存’ (cryopreservation). It’s neutral in register and widely appropriate across formal and informal speech.