风花雪月

風花雪月
fēnghuāxuěyuè
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 wind, flower, snow, moon — the four classic poetic themes
  2. 2 romantic / sentimental subject matter
  3. 3 fluff; frivolous themes with no substance

Examples

Tā de shī duō xiě fēnghuāxuěyuè.
His poetry mostly deals in wind, flower, snow, and moon.
Bié zhěng tiān xiǎngzhe fēnghuāxuěyuè, gāi tán zhèng shì le.
Stop daydreaming about romance — it's time to get down to business.

Tips

history
From Song philosopher Shao Yong's preface to 《》: life's hardships pass 风花雪月 — 'like the year's wind, flowers, snow, and moon drifting past the eyes'.
culture
Classical 'four subjects of poetry' — wind, flower, snow, moon — became shorthand first for romantic/aesthetic writing, then (often critically) for fluff with no substance.

Stroke Order

fēng
huā
xuě
yuè