气候(qì hòu) - climate in Mandarin

气候 (qìhòu) means climate, the general pattern of weather a place has over the year, as opposed to 天气 (tiānqì), which is what is happening right now. 气 (qì) means air or vapour, and 候 (hòu) here carries the old sense of "season, time period", so together the word points at the recurring rhythm of the air over time rather than today's forecast.

The distinction between 气候 (qìhòu) and 天气 (tiānqì) trips learners up because English can use "the weather" loosely for both. In Mandarin, you talk about 中国的气候 (Zhōngguó de qìhòu, China's climate) but 今天的天气 (jīntiān de tiānqì, today's weather); swapping them sounds like describing today's showers as a permanent national feature.

气候 (qìhòu) also turns up in the compound 气候变化 (qìhòu biànhuà), "climate change", one of the most common ways the word appears in news and school textbooks alike.