天有不测风云

天有不測風雲

tiānyǒubùcèfēngyún

idiom #39,878

Meanings

1 the weather brings unforeseen storms
2 disaster can strike at any moment; life is full of unpredictable misfortune

Characters

to measure; to predict

Examples

天有不测风云，谁能想到他突然就病倒了。

Tiānyǒubùcèfēngyún, shéi néng xiǎngdào tā tūrán jiù bìngdǎo le.

Disaster strikes without warning - who could have predicted he'd suddenly fall ill?

买保险是为了防备天有不测风云。

Mǎi bǎoxiǎn shì wèile fángbèi tiānyǒubùcèfēngyún.

We buy insurance to prepare for the unexpected misfortunes of life.

Tips

history

From the Yuan-dynasty play 《合同文字》: 天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福 - 'The sky has unpredictable winds and clouds; people face fortune and misfortune in a single day.' The two halves are usually quoted together.

usage

Sets up bad news - used to soften a sudden tragedy or to introduce why someone is being cautious. Pairs naturally with 人有旦夕祸福.

Stroke Order

天 tiān

有 yǒu

不 bù

测 cè

风 fēng

云 yún