空穴来风 (kòng xué lái fēng) — (set phrase) a rumor that may have some basis (original meaning); (set phrase, modern colloquial) an unfounded rumor; groundless talk

Definition

Literally 'wind from an empty cave' — originally a rumor that has some basis. In modern usage it usually means the opposite: a baseless rumor. So 这并非空穴来风 = 'this is not without foundation', but 别信，那是空穴来风 = 'don't believe it, it's groundless'.

idiom
(set phrase) a rumor that may have some basis (original meaning)(set phrase, modern colloquial) an unfounded rumorgroundless talk

Examples

  • 空穴来风，。
    Zhè jiàn shì bìng fēi kòng xué lái fēng, zǎo yǒu fēng shēng chuán chū lái le.
    This matter is not an unfounded rumor—word has been out for a while.
  • ，空穴来风。
    Dà jiā bié xiāng xìn nà ge xiāo xi, nà shì kòng xué lái fēng bà liǎo.
    Don't believe that news—it's just a baseless rumor.
  • 空穴来风，。
    Tā zhǐ zé méi tǐ zhì zào kòng xué lái fēng, què ná bù chū zhèng jù.
    He accused the media of fabricating baseless rumors, but couldn't provide evidence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

空穴empty holes
空kōngempty穴xuéhole
偏正Modifier + head
来风bring wind
来láibring风fēngwind
动宾Verb + object

空穴 (empty holes) that 来风 (bring wind) imply a rumor has some cause.

Characters in this word

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

穴 possibly comes from a picture of a cave entrance or a door flap, matching meanings such as cave and hole.

Open 穴 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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