风雨交加

風雨交加

fēngyǔ-jiāojiā

idiom

Meanings

1 wind and rain together
2 wild and stormy weather
3 (figuratively) hardships piling up

Characters

to join; together

Examples

HSK 3

公司这几年风雨交加，全靠员工坚持下来。

Gōngsī zhè jǐ nián fēngyǔjiāojiā, quán kào yuángōng jiānchí xiàlái.

The company has weathered storm after storm these past years, holding on only thanks to the staff.

HSK 4

昨晚风雨交加，街上几乎没有人。

Zuówǎn fēngyǔjiāojiā, jiēshàng jīhū méiyǒu rén.

Last night was wild and stormy; there was hardly anyone on the streets.

HSK 4

在风雨交加的夜里，他独自走回家。

Zài fēngyǔjiāojiā de yèlǐ, tā dúzì zǒu huí jiā.

On a wind-and-rain-lashed night, he walked home alone.

Tips

history

From Liang Zhangju's 《浪迹丛谈》 (Qing dynasty): around the winter solstice the sky stays overcast and 风雨交加, lasting a month. Originally a literal weather report.

usage

Literal for storms, figurative for compounding troubles. The figurative use often pairs with verbs like 经历 (jīnglì, to go through).

Stroke Order

风 fēng

雨 yǔ

交 jiāo

加 jiā