Definition
风云 (fēng yún) literally means 'wind and clouds' but is used figuratively for an unstable, turbulent situation or upheaval, often in fixed phrases like 风云变幻. It differs from 风雨 (fēng yǔ, 'trials and hardships') which focuses on personal difficulties, and from 动荡 (dòng dàng, 'turmoil') which describes a state of unrest. 风云 emphasizes the dramatic, changing nature of events.
noun
weatherwind and clouds (literal)unstable situationturbulent timesupheaval (figurative)
Examples
- ，。Húmiàn shàng fēng yún tūbiàn, kànlái yào xià yǔ le.The weather on the lake suddenly changed; it looks like it's going to rain.
- 风云。Zhè chǎng zhèngzhì fēng yún yǐngxiǎng le xǔduō rén de mìngyùn.This political upheaval affected many people's fates.
- 风云。Tā zài nà gè fēng yún biànhuàn de niándài zuòchū le zhòngyào gòngxiàn.He made important contributions in that era of changing circumstances.
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