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风凉话 (fēng liáng huà) — sarcastic, irresponsible remarks; snide comments

Definition

Set phrase for 'snide, irresponsible remarks' — spoken by a bystander who won't help. The 说… pattern ('don't just stand there 说风凉话, come and help') is fixed.

noun
sarcasticirresponsible remarkssnide comments

Examples

  • 风凉话，。
    Tā zhī huì shuō fēng liáng huà, cóng lái bù bāng máng.
    He only makes snide remarks and never helps.
  • 风凉话，。
    Bié zài páng biān shuō fēng liáng huà le, yǒu běn shì nǐ lái shì shì.
    Stop making sarcastic remarks from the sidelines — if you're so capable, come and try it yourself.
  • 风凉话。
    Nǐ zhè xiē fēng liáng huà ràng rén tīng le hěn bù shū fu.
    Your snide comments make people feel very uncomfortable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

风凉
风fēngwind凉liángcool
偏正Modifier + head
话huàtalk

The 风凉 wind-cool quality describes the 话 talk, giving breezy sarcastic remarks.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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 涼; 凉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng涼liáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 涼 combines 氵 (water) with 京, which gives the sound; the simplified 凉 is a later abbreviation.

Open 凉 →

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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