逆风 (nì fēng) — (v.o.) to go against the wind, to sail/fly into a headwind; (n.) headwind, adverse wind

Definition

Literally 'against the wind' (逆 + 风) — used for cycling, sailing, flying, or running into a headwind. Pairs with the verb it modifies (逆风骑车) rather than standing alone as a verb.

verb
(v.o.) to go against the windto sail/fly into a headwind(n.) headwindadverse wind

Examples

  • 逆风。
    Jīn tiān nì fēng qí chē hěn lèi.
    It's very tiring to cycle against the wind today.
  • 逆风，。
    Yù dào nì fēng shí, fēi jī xū yào gèng duō rán liào.
    When encountering a headwind, the plane needs more fuel.
  • ，。
    Tā nì zhe fēng pǎo, sù dù màn le hěn duō.
    He ran against the wind, and his speed slowed down a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

逆nìgo against
风fēngwind

逆 means go against and 风 means wind, so the sense is moving against the wind or a wind blowing from the front.

Characters in this word

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

  • 辶辵chuòmovement
  • 屰屰nìgo against

The 辶 part shows movement, and 屰 gives the sound and the sense of going against, so the whole depicts moving in the opposite direction.

Open 逆 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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