风雨交加

風雨交加

fēngyǔjiāojiā

idiom

Meanings

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

Characters

to join; together

Examples

昨晚风雨交加，街上几乎没有人。

Zuówǎn fēng yǔ jiāo jiā, jiē shàng jīhū méiyǒu rén.

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

在风雨交加的夜里，他独自走回家。

Zài fēng yǔ jiāo jiā de yèlǐ, tā dúzì zǒu huí jiā.

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

公司这几年风雨交加，全靠员工坚持下来。

Gōngsī zhè jǐ nián fēng yǔ jiāo jiā, quán kào yuángōng jiānchí xiàlái.

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

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