风势 (fēng shì) — wind force; power of the wind; (figurative) situation; circumstances; how events are developing

Definition

Literally 'wind force', but in extended use it means the way a situation is moving or building. Like watching the wind before sailing, it suggests reading momentum before acting.

noun
wind forcepower of the wind(figurative) situationcircumstanceshow events are developing

Examples

  • 风势，。
    Jīn tiān hǎi shàng de fēng shì hěn dà, yú chuán dōu huí gǎng le.
    The wind force at sea today is very strong; all the fishing boats have returned to port.
  • 风势，。
    Tán pàn de fēng shì bú tài duì, shuāng fāng dōu bù kěn ràng bù.
    The situation in the negotiations doesn't look good; neither side is willing to compromise.
  • 风势，。
    Xiān kàn kàn fēng shì zài shuō, bié jí zhe zuò jué dìng.
    Let's see how things develop first; don't rush to make a decision.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

风fēngwind
势shìforce

风势 combines wind and force: how strong or how events move.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →

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