风 (fēng) · wind, breeze

Measure Word

一阵风 zhèn

Meanings

1 wind
2 breeze

Characters

风

fēng

wind; breeze; style

Simplified from 風 - the force that moves insects (虫) through the air.

Examples

HSK 1

今天风很大。

Jīntiān fēng hěn dà.

The wind is very strong today.

HSK 2

外面有风吗？

Wàimiàn yǒu fēng ma?

Is it windy outside?

HSK 5

一阵风吹过来了。

Yī zhèn fēng chuī guòlái le.

A gust of wind blew over.

Tips

history

The traditional character 風 contains 虫 (insect) inside - ancient Chinese believed insects appeared when the wind blew in spring, connecting wind to the cycle of life.

culture

风水 (literally 'wind-water') is the ancient Chinese practice of arranging spaces for harmony and good fortune. The concept has spread worldwide.

Components

pictograph

风 fēng

wind

Simplified from traditional 風 in the 1956 reform. The original had 凡 outside and 虫 inside, since ancient Chinese believed wind summoned insects. The modern stylised silhouette keeps only the outer canopy; the inner 乂 is graphic residue, so 风 is treated as a single self-pictograph.

Radical

Wind Kangxi #182

The wind radical, simplified from 風 where 虫 sat inside the breath frame. Modern compounds where 风 actually indexes are scarce: 飓 (hurricane), 飘 (to flutter), 飙 (gale). But the radical anchors the entire wind/breeze/style word family in classical lexicons. Often appears as a phonetic element too.