云雾 (yún wù) — clouds and mist (literal); (figurative) remote or obscure places, often in literary contexts

Definition

Literary compound for 'clouds and mist' (a real weather scene, not a measure word or 云 cloud alone). In literary use it often stands in for remote, hidden places.

noun
clouds and mist (literal)(figurative) remote or obscure placesoften in literary contexts
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • 云雾，。
    Shān jiān yún wù liáo rào, fēi cháng měi lì.
    Clouds and mist swirl among the mountains, very beautiful.
  • 云雾，。
    Tā zhù zài yún wù shēn chù, hěn shǎo jiàn rén.
    He lives deep in the clouds and mist (remote area), rarely seeing people.
  • 云雾。
    Qīng chén de hǎi miàn lǒng zhào zài yún wù zhī zhōng.
    The morning sea surface is shrouded in clouds and mist.

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
雾wùmist

云 means cloud and 雾 means mist, so together they describe clouds and mist.

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 霧; 雾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
務
務wù霧wù
Same sound today

In the traditional form 霧, 雨, rain, is on top and 務 below gives the sound; the simplified 雾 is a shorthand.

Open 雾 →

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