(fēng) - wind in Mandarin
fēngTraditional: 風
Translation
wind
Word origin
The traditional form 風 encloses 虫 (chóng, creature) inside 凡 (fán), which gives the sound; early Chinese thought of the wind as stirring living things into motion. The simplified 风 keeps the outer stroke and replaces the inside with 乂.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 凡 (fán, phonetic) + 虫 (chóng, creature)
Stroke order
风
Examples
。
The wind is very strong today.
。
The wind blew the window open.
湿。
The wind by the sea is cold and damp.
，。
The wind has got up outside, so go home early.
叶。
The leaves stir gently in the wind.
风 (fēng) is wind, in weather and in everything weather touches: 大风 a gale, 起风 for the wind getting up, 风吹 for the wind blowing something about, 台风 a typhoon.
It also does a second job as style or manner. 作风 is somebody's way of working, 风格 is artistic style, 风景 is scenery and 风俗 is local custom. A word that looks meteorological turns out to run through half the vocabulary of taste and behaviour.
The trap is describing its strength. English reaches for strong or heavy; Chinese uses big. 风很大 is a strong wind, 风很小 is a light breeze, and 风很强 sounds like a physics textbook. The same 大 and 小 do the work for rain and for sound, which is worth learning once and reusing.
Where this fits
Used in
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风: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "风" (wind): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 50.