吞云吐雾

吞雲吐霧

tūnyún-tǔwù

idiom #42,164

Meanings

1 to swallow clouds and belch fog
2 to puff away on a cigarette or pipe

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

他坐在沙发上吞云吐雾。

Tā zuò zài shāfā shàng tūnyún-tǔwù.

He sat on the sofa puffing away.

HSK 5

办公室里不许吞云吐雾。

Bàngōngshì lǐ bùxǔ tūnyún-tǔwù.

Smoking is not allowed in the office.

Tips

history

From Shen Yue's 《郊居赋》 (Southern Dynasties, Liang) - originally a Daoist image of an adept inhaling mists and exhaling clouds. Modern usage transferred the imagery to smoking.

Stroke Order

吞 tūn

云 yún

吐 tǔ

雾 wù