腾云 (téng yún) — (literary) to ride the clouds (of immortals or…

Definition

A literary, mythological image — immortals or deities riding the clouds, often paired with 驾雾 (as in 腾云驾雾) to mean moving freely through the heavens.

noun

(literary) to ride the clouds (of immortals or deities in mythology)fast-moving cloudsclouds that surge or billow

腾云，。
Shén xiān téng yún jià wù, lái qù zì rú.
Immortals ride clouds and drive mist, coming and going as they please.
腾云。
Xiǎo shuō lǐ de xiān rén néng téng yún ér xíng.
The immortals in the novel can travel by riding clouds.
，腾云，。
Dà zhàn zhī shí, tiān shàng téng yún fān gǔn, qì shì jīng rén.
During the great battle, clouds surged and rolled in the sky — a breathtaking sight.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

腾 means to ride or mount, and 云 means clouds; riding clouds also suggests surging clouds.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 騰; 腾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

馬馬mǎhorse

Sound part声符shēngfú

朕

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 騰 pairs 馬 (horse) with 朕 as a sound part; it described a horse's gallop or prance. The simplified 腾 is a later shorthand.

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.

雨云雲

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'.