云游 (yún yóu) — to roam freely (like clouds); to wander (often in a spiritual or leisurely manner)

Definition

Literary/literary-style verb meaning to wander freely like drifting clouds, often with a spiritual or carefree tone. Pairs with monastic or poetic contexts, unlike the everyday travel verbs 旅行 or 旅游.

verb
to roam freely (like clouds)to wander (often in a spiritual or leisurely manner)

Examples

  • 云游，。
    Nà wèi lǎo sēng xǐ huan yún yóu, zǒu biàn le dà jiāng nán běi.
    That old monk likes to wander freely, traveling all over the country.
  • ，云游。
    Tā cí qù gōng zuò, kāi shǐ yún yóu shì jiè gè dì.
    He quit his job and began to roam the world without a fixed plan.
  • 云游。
    Shī rén bǐ xià de yún yóu shēng huó lìng rén xiàng wǎng.
    The life of aimless wandering described by the poet is enviable.

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.

云yúncloud
游yóuroam

The 云 part means cloud and the 游 part means roam, together meaning to wander freely like clouds.

Characters in this word

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

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