闻风而动

聞風而動

wénfēng'érdòng

idiom #52,979

Meanings

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.

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