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通风报信 (tōng fēng bào xìn) — to secretly tip someone off; to leak inside information

Definition

An idiom meaning to secretly pass inside information to someone, usually for personal gain or as an act of betrayal. The tone is negative — it implies leaking or snitching, not a neutral heads-up.

idiom
to secretly tip someone offto leak inside information

Examples

  • 通风报信，。
    Tā gěi fàn zuì xián yí rén tōng fēng bào xìn, jié guǒ bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
    He tipped off the criminal suspect, and as a result was caught by the police.
  • 通风报信，。
    Kǎo shì qián yǒu rén xiàng kǎo shēng tōng fēng bào xìn, xué xiào zhèng zài diào chá zhè jiàn shì.
    Someone tipped off the examinees before the exam, and the school is investigating the matter.
  • 通风报信，。
    Gōng sī nèi bù yǒu rén gěi jìng zhēng duì shǒu tōng fēng bào xìn, dǎo zhì xiàng mù shī bài.
    Someone inside the company tipped off a competitor, leading to the project's failure.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

通风let wind through
通tōnglet through风fēngwind
动宾Verb + object
报信report news
报bàoreport信xìnnews
动宾Verb + object

通风 suggests letting air through and 报信 suggests sending news, together meaning to tip someone off secretly.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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
言言yánwords
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén信xìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Open 信 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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