云烟 (yún yān) — (literary) clouds and mist; drifting smoke; (figurative) something transient or insubstantial

Definition

Literary word for 'clouds and mist' (often drifting), used in poetry and prose. Figuratively, it means something as fleeting and insubstantial as passing clouds — past events, fame, or worldly concerns that vanish.

noun
(literary) clouds and mistdrifting smoke(figurative) something transient or insubstantial

Examples

  • 云烟，。
    Yuǎn chù de shān jiān yún yān liáo rào, wǎn rú xiān jìng.
    Clouds and mist swirl among the distant mountains, like a fairyland.
  • ，。
    Wǎng shì rú yún yān, yí qù bù fǎn.
    Past events are like drifting clouds and smoke — gone and never to return.
  • 云烟，。
    Huà zhōng yún yān piāo miǎo, yì jìng shēn yuǎn.
    In the painting, the mist and smoke are ethereal, creating a profound artistic mood.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

云yúncloud
烟yānsmoke

云 means cloud and 烟 means smoke, so the word pictures drifting clouds and smoke.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
垔
垔yīn煙yān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

Open 烟 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.