捕风捉影

捕風捉影

bǔfēng-zhuōyǐng

idiom #28,300

Meanings

1 to chase the wind and clutch at shadows
2 to make groundless accusations
3 to act on hearsay without evidence

Characters

to catch; to capture

to catch; to grab

Examples

HSK 3

他的指控完全是捕风捉影，没有任何证据。

Tā de zhǐkòng wánquán shì bǔfēng-zhuōyǐng, méiyǒu rènhé zhèngjù.

His accusations were completely groundless, without any evidence.

HSK 7-9

不要捕风捉影，应该等证据确凿了再下结论。

Bùyào bǔfēng-zhuōyǐng, yīnggāi děng zhèngjùquèzáo le zài xiàjiélùn.

Don't make groundless accusations; you should wait until the evidence is solid before drawing conclusions.

Tips

memory

Imagine literally trying to catch (捕/捉) wind (风) and shadows (影) - things that simply cannot be grasped. This vividly captures the futility of claims with no basis in reality.

Stroke Order

捕 bǔ

风 fēng

捉 zhuō

影 yǐng