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透风 (tòu fēng) — (v.o.) to ventilate, to let fresh air in; (v.o.) to drop a hint, to leak information

Definition

Verb-object compound with two meanings: literally 'let air pass through' (ventilate), and figuratively 'leak a hint of information'. Used in both everyday and journalistic contexts.

verb
(v.o.) to ventilateto let fresh air in(v.o.) to drop a hintto leak information

Examples

  • 透风，。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān bú tài tòu fēng, gǎn jué hěn mēn.
    This room doesn't get much air; it feels stuffy.
  • ，。
    Tā xiàng jì zhě tòu le diǎn fēng, shuō gōng sī yào cái yuán.
    He dropped a hint to the reporters that the company was going to lay off staff.
  • ，透风。
    Tiān qì rè le, xū yào kāi chuāng tòu fēng.
    It's hot — I need to open the window and let some air in.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

透tòupass through
风fēngair

透 (pass through) and 风 (air) give the sense of letting air in, or a secret leak.

Characters in this word

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
辵辵chuòwalking
Sound part声符shēngfú
秀
秀xiù透tòu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 透 has 辵, a walking part, and 秀, which provides the sound.

Open 透 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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