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风声 (fēng shēng) — (figurative) news, rumor, information (often about a leak or secret); sound of the wind

Definition

Literally 'sound of the wind,' but figuratively means rumor, leak, or behind-the-scenes information (often about something secret). The verb 走漏风声 ('leak news') is a common set phrase.

noun
(figurative) newsrumorinformation (often about a leak or secret)sound of the wind

Examples

  • ，风声。
    Yè wǎn de shān shàng, fēng shēng hěn dà.
    On the mountain at night, the sound of the wind is very loud.
  • 风声。
    Tā tīng dào le yì xiē guān yú gōng sī cái yuán de fēng shēng.
    He heard some rumors about the company's layoffs.
  • 风声，。
    Zhè jiàn shì zǒu lòu le fēng shēng, dà jiā dōu zhī dào le.
    News of this matter leaked out, and everyone found out.

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fēngwind
声shēngsound

风 (wind) and 声 (sound) combine to mean the sound of wind, extended to news or rumors.

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechWeather

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