Definition
风骚 has two very different meanings. The literary sense refers to the tradition of the 国风 (Guofeng) from the Book of Songs and the 离骚 (Li Sao) by Qu Yuan, together representing the pinnacle of classical Chinese poetry. The everyday sense describes coquettish or flirtatious behavior, often with a negative, derogatory connotation — calling someone 风骚 can imply they are deliberately showing off or being seductive in an inappropriate way. Context is everything; the two meanings rarely overlap.
noun
literary excellence / poetic grace (referring to the 国风 and 离骚 tradition)coquetry / flirtatiousness (often derogatory)
Examples
- 风骚。Tā de wénzhāng chōngmǎn le gǔdài fēng sāo de mèilì.His writing is full of the charm of ancient literary excellence.
- 风骚，。Tā zǒngshì yífù fēng sāo de yàngzi, ràng rén juéde bú tài shūfu.She always puts on a coquettish manner, which makes people feel somewhat uncomfortable.
- ，风骚。Xiàndài kǒuyǔ zhōng, fēng sāo yìcí jīhū zhǐ yònglai xíngróng rén jǔzhǐ qīngfú.In modern spoken Chinese, the word 'fengsao' is almost only used to describe someone with frivolous behavior.
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