风向标 (fēng xiàng biāo) — wind vane (literal); bellwether, indicator of trends (figurative)

Definition

Literally a physical wind vane, commonly used figuratively as a 'bellwether' — a person, company, or data point that signals which way a trend is heading. Both senses (literal device and trend indicator) are common.

noun
wind vane (literal)bellwetherindicator of trends (figurative)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 风向标。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī shì kē jì háng yè de fēng xiàng biāo.
    This company is a bellwether in the tech industry.
  • 风向标。
    Fáng jià biàn huà shì jīng jì zǒu shì de fēng xiàng biāo.
    Housing price changes are a barometer of economic trends.
  • 风向标，。
    Wū dǐng shàng yǒu yí gè fēng xiàng biāo, yòng lái cè fēng xiàng.
    There's a wind vane on the roof, used to measure wind direction.

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.

风向wind direction
风fēngwind向xiàngdirection
偏正Modifier + head
标biāomarker

风向, the direction of wind, combines with 标, a marker, to form a wind vane.

Characters in this word

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.

向 originally drew 宀 (house) with 口 to show an echo in a place; later it was used for direction.

Open 向 →

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 標; 标 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
票
票piào標biāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 標 pairs 木 with 票, and 票 gives the sound; the simplified 标 is the modern form of that traditional character.

Open 标 →

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