TongTong
Sign in

通风 (tōng fēng) — to ventilate, to let fresh air circulate; to tip off, to secretly reveal information

Definition

通风 is 'to ventilate' — the act of letting fresh air in or stale air out of a room, often by opening windows. Compared to 透气, it focuses on the room/space being aired out rather than on breathable fabric or stepping outside for a breath.

verb
to ventilateto let fresh air circulateto tip offto secretly reveal information

Examples

  • 通风。
    Qǐng bǎ chuāng hu dǎ kāi tōng fēng yí xià.
    Please open the windows to air out the room.
  • 通风，。
    Tā xiàng jìng zhēng duì shǒu tōng fēng, dǎo zhì gōng sī sǔn shī hěn dà.
    He tipped off the competitors, causing great losses to the company.
  • ，。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān bù tōng fēng, dài jiǔ le tóu yūn.
    This room is not well-ventilated; staying long makes you dizzy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

通tōnglet air pass
风fēngwind

通风 pairs 通 (let air pass) with 风 (wind), so it means to ventilate or tip off.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Home & Housing

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.