风声鹤唳

風聲鶴唳

fēngshēnghèlì

idiom #68,183

Meanings

1 to panic at the slightest sound
2 jittery and on edge
3 to be alarmed by every rustle and cry

Characters

cry (of a crane)

Examples

敌军大败后一路逃窜，风声鹤唳，草木皆兵。

Díjūn dà bài hòu yí lù táocuàn, fēngshēnghèlì, cǎomùjiēbīng.

After a crushing defeat, the enemy fled in panic, terrified by every sound and shadow.

经过那次抢劫案，小镇上的居民个个风声鹤唳。

Jīngguò nà cì qiǎngjié àn, xiǎo zhèn shàng de jūmín gège fēngshēnghèlì.

After that robbery, every resident of the small town was jumpy and on edge.

疫情期间，人们风声鹤唳，连咳嗽一声都会被侧目。

Yìqíng qījiān, rénmen fēngshēnghèlì, lián késou yì shēng dōu huì bèi cèmù.

During the pandemic, people were so jittery that even a single cough would draw sideways glances.

Tips

history

From the Jin Shu biography of 谢玄. After the rout at Feishui (383 CE), the fleeing 前秦 soldiers heard 'the wind and the cries of cranes' and mistook every sound for pursuing troops. Often paired with its sister idiom 草木皆兵.

memory

风声 (wind sound) + 鹤唳 (crane calls) — two harmless natural sounds that terrify an already-spooked mind. A vivid snapshot of paranoia.

Stroke Order

风 fēng

声 shēng

鹤 hè

唳 lì