吞云吐雾 (tūn yún tǔ wù) — to smoke (especially heavily or ostentatiously); to blow out clouds of smoke (figurative)

Definition

A vivid idiom literally meaning 'swallow clouds, spit fog,' used to describe smoking heavily or puffing away with visible clouds of smoke.

idiom
to smoke (especially heavily or ostentatiously)to blow out clouds of smoke (figurative)

Examples

  • ，吞云吐雾。
    Tā zuò zài chuāng biān, yōu xián de tūn yún tǔ wù.
    He sat by the window, casually puffing away.
  • 吞云吐雾，。
    Fáng jiān lǐ jǐ gè rén zhèng zài tūn yún tǔ wù, yān wù liáo rào.
    Several people in the room were smoking, filling it with haze.
  • 吞云吐雾，。
    Lǎo zhāng xǐ huan fàn hòu tūn yún tǔ wù, shuō shì xiǎng shòu.
    Old Zhang likes to smoke after meals, calling it a pleasure.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

吞云swallow clouds
吞tūnswallow云yúncloud
动宾Verb + object
吐雾spit out mist
吐tǔspit雾wùmist
动宾Verb + object

"吞云" and "吐雾" are parallel images of swallowing clouds and spitting mist, used for smoke.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 吞 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雲; 云 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 雲 is 雨 (rain) plus 云; 云 was the original writing for 'cloud', and 雨 was added to separate it from the borrowed sense 'to say'.

Open 云 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
土
土tǔ吐tǔ
Same sound today

吐 pairs 口, the mouth, with 土, which gives the sound.

Open 吐 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 霧; 雾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
務
務wù霧wù
Same sound today

In the traditional form 霧, 雨, rain, is on top and 務 below gives the sound; the simplified 雾 is a shorthand.

Open 雾 →

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