血雨腥风 (xuè yǔ xīng fēng) — scene of carnage, bloodbath; reign of terror (especially in PRC political discourse)

Definition

An idiom for a 'reign of terror' — violent chaos with bloodshed. Used in both literal war scenes and (especially in PRC discourse) to denounce political persecution.

idiom
scene of carnagebloodbathreign of terror (especially in PRC political discourse)

Examples

  • 血雨腥风。
    Nà chǎng zhàn zhēng ràng zhěng gè chéng shì xiàn rù le yí piàn xuè yǔ xīng fēng zhī zhōng.
    That war plunged the entire city into a scene of carnage.
  • 血雨腥风。
    Lì shǐ shū shàng jì zǎi le nà ge nián dài de xuè yǔ xīng fēng tǒng zhì.
    History books record the reign of terror of that era.
  • 血雨腥风，。
    Tā huí yì qǐ nà duàn xuè yǔ xīng fēng de rì zi, réng rán xīn yǒu yú jì.
    He still shudders when recalling those days of blood and terror.

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.

血雨blood rain
血xuèblood雨yǔrain
偏正Modifier + head
腥风bloody wind
腥xīngbloody风fēngwind
偏正Modifier + head

“血雨” and “腥风” are paired bloody images, together describing carnage.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Open 血 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.

Open 雨 →

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
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
星
星xīng腥xīng
Same sound today

腥 combines 肉 (meat; flesh) with 星, which supplies its sound.

Open 腥 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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