闻风而动

聞風而動

wénfēng'érdòng

idiom #52,979

Meanings

HSK 5

听说有打折，顾客闻风而动，把店挤满了。

Tīngshuō yǒu dǎzhé, gùkè wénfēng'érdòng, bǎ diàn jǐ mǎn le.

Word of the discount got out, and customers swarmed in the moment they heard, packing the store.

HSK 6

警方一接到报案就闻风而动。

Jǐngfāng yī jiēdào bào'àn jiù wénfēng'érdòng.

The police sprang into action the instant they received the report.

history

Recorded in Song-dynasty Chen Liang (陈亮) in 《祭赵尉母夫人文》 as 闻风而起. The 风 here is 'word/news on the wind,' the same metaphor as in 风声 'rumor.'

Neutral to mildly approving - emphasizes alertness and speed. For sneaky/opportunistic responses use 闻风而逃 (flee) or 见风使舵 instead.

闻 wén

风 fēng

而 ér

动 dòng