風(fēng)

A character of ever-changing fortunes

過江千尺浪，入竹萬竿斜

This summer is set to see record-high temperatures again due to global warming， scientists predict. While some seek refuge with an air-conditioner， others prefer resorts in the mountains or by the sea， enjoying beautiful scenery and a cool breeze.

The character 風(fēng) （f8ng， wind） appeared on oracle bones over 3，000 years ago. Being invisible and intangible， wind couldnt have many meaningful radicals， and was given the same pictorial form as its homophone 鳳 （f-ng）， the character for the mythical phoenix. The outside radical， 凡， indicated its pronunciation. In the Qin dynasty （221 – 207 BCE）， the character evolved into two separate seal-script forms： 鳳?（f-ng） for the bird， and風(fēng)?（f8ng） for the weather. Both were then later simplified， with and the phoenix becoming 鳳 again， and the wind written as 風(fēng).

Words carrying 風(fēng) describe different types of draughts， including 微風(fēng) （w8if8ng， breeze），

大風(fēng) （d3f8ng， gale）， 季風(fēng) （j#f8ng， monsoon）， and 臺(tái)風(fēng) （t1if8ng， typhoon）. Some are also metaphors： For instance， 春風(fēng) （ch$nf8ng，? “spring breeze”） can also refer to a pleasant feeling， expression， or setting， as in 他近來很順利，春風(fēng)滿面。（T` j#nl1i h0n sh&nl#， ch$nf8ng m2nmi3n. “Things have gone well for him lately， so his face is full of joy.”）

In the novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms， warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei are forced to make an alliance to resist their rival Cao Cao， defending the Yangtze River with only 50，000 men against Cao Caos reputed army of 800，000. Suns top strategist， General Zhou Yu， came up with the idea to set fire to Caos ships， and had all the preparations ready except one last crucial element—wind to fan the flames. This oversight gave rise to the idiom 萬事俱備，只欠東風(fēng) （w3nsh# j& b-i， zh@ qi3n d4ngf8ng， “Everything ready except the East wind”）， meaning a big flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. Thankfully， Lius strategist Zhuge Liang helped Zhou pray to the gods to summon the wind， and their alliance won the now-famous Battle of the Red Cliffs.

Wind is also often used to indicate trends in politics， business， or society： For example， 風(fēng)雨交加 （f8ngy^ ji`oji`， “the wind howls and the rain pours”） describes a crisis， and 風(fēng)平浪靜（f8ngp！ng l3ngj#ng， “the wind has abated and the waves have calmed”） describes its opposite， as in 任何社會(huì)改革都不會(huì)是風(fēng)平浪靜的。

（R-nh9 sh-hu# g2ig9 d4u b%hu# sh# f8ngp！ng l3ngj#ng de. “No social reform is plain sailing.”）

Wind is always on the move. Widespread trends and prevailing local practices are known as 風(fēng)俗 （f8ngs%， folk customs）. When visiting a new area， one has to learn about its 風(fēng)土人情 （f8ngt^ r9nq！ng， local conditions and practices）. Great importance has also been attached to 風(fēng)氣 （f8ngq#）， meaning the general mood， atmosphere， or morals of a community， as in這里學(xué)習(xí)風(fēng)氣很濃（Zh-l@ xu9x！ f8ngq# h0n n5ng. “There is a good climate for learning here.”）

For an individual， 風(fēng) can also refer to behavior， attitude， or temperament， such as 風(fēng)度 （f8ngd&， demeanor） or 風(fēng)采 （f8ngc2i， bearing）. For instance， 他很有學(xué)者風(fēng)采。

（T` h0n y6u xu9zh0 f8ngc2i. “He has the air of a scholar.”）

Being strong as well as swift， wind has given rise to many other idioms describing quick movement or fast-changing trends. 風(fēng)卷殘?jiān)?（f8ngju2n c1ny%n， a whirlwind scatters wisps of clouds） means to make a clean sweep of something， typically food. 風(fēng)靡一時(shí) （f8ngm！ y#sh！， fashion of the moment） is a fad， as in 這種時(shí)尚在中國曾風(fēng)靡一時(shí)。（Zh- zh6ng sh！sh3ng z3i Zh4nggu5 c9ng f8ngm！ y#sh！. “This fashion swept the country at one time.”）

For meteorologists， wind can signal changes in weather or climate. Metaphorically， changing winds also represent shifts in opinion or information. 風(fēng)聲 （f8ngsh8ng， literally “the sound of wind”） is a word for intelligence that is not publicly available. Expressions related to this include 打探風(fēng)聲 （d2t3n f8ngsh8ng， fish for intelligence） and 通風(fēng)報(bào)信 （t4ngf8ng b3ox#n， leak secret information）， as in 防止有人給嫌疑人通風(fēng)報(bào)信 （f1ngzh@ y6u r9n g0i xi1ny！r9n t4ngf8ng b3ox#n， avoid tipping off the suspect.） Unreliable intelligence is known as 風(fēng)傳 （f8ngchu1n， hearsay or rumor） and 風(fēng)言風(fēng)語 （f8ngy1n f8ngy^， slanderous gossip）.

To many Chinese， another important type of “wind” is 風(fēng)水 （f8ngshu@， literally “wind and water”）， the traditional practice of determining auspicious locations for houses， businesses， tombs， and other structures. When paired with other natural elements， 風(fēng) can describe other environments： 風(fēng)光 （f8nggu`ng， sights）， as in 田園風(fēng)光 （ti1nyu1n f8nggu`ng， pastoral scene）; and 風(fēng)景 （f8ngj@ng， scenery）， as in 桂林風(fēng)景如畫。（Gu#l！n f8ngj@ng r% hu3. “The scenery of Guilin is as beautiful as a painting.”）

As an unbridled natural force， wind can also wreak havoc on the environment. Accordingly， some wind-related expressions describe difficult situations. For instance， 風(fēng)風(fēng)雨雨 （f8ngf8ng y^y^， literally “repeated wind and rain”） means a string of hardships， as in 六十年來的風(fēng)風(fēng)雨雨，一起涌上他的心頭。（Li&sh！ ni1n l1i de f8ngf8ng y^y^， y#q@ y6ngsh3ng t` de x～nt5u. “He recalled the adversities of the last 60 years.”）

Amidst the winds of change， or 風(fēng)云變幻 （f8ngy%n bi3nhu3n）， you may face 狂風(fēng)驟雨?（ku1ngf8ng zh7uy^， violent storm） in your life. But as long as you have strong faith and enough courage， you can definitely 乘風(fēng)破浪（ch9ngf8ng p7l3ng， ride the wind and cleave the waves）， and achieve your goal.

– Huang Weijia （黃偉嘉） and TAN YUNFEI （譚云飛）