风气

• Pinyin: fēng qì
• Hanzi breakdown: 风 = 几 + 虫 (wind, manner, custom); 气 = simplified 氣 — air, steam, breath, atmosphere, spirit

Meaning

The prevailing atmosphere, customs, or trends within a social group, organisation, or society; the general tone or ethos of a community.

Refers to the dominant values, norms, and practices that shape behaviour in a given context. Can be positive (良好风气) or negative (不正之风). Commonly discussed in the context of workplace culture, educational environments, and social reform.

Examples

1. 端正学术风气、遏制抄袭造假行为是当前高校科研管理中亟待解决的核心问题，需要制度建设与文化建设同步推进。 Correcting the academic climate and curbing plagiarism and research fraud are core problems that urgently need to be addressed in university research management today, requiring institutional and cultural efforts to move forward in tandem.
2. 一旦组织内部形成了一种推诿责任、明哲保身的不良风气，即便规章制度再完善，执行力也会大打折扣，最终影响整体效能。 Once a toxic culture of passing the buck and protecting oneself takes hold within an organization, even the most complete rules and regulations will be undermined in practice, ultimately hurting overall effectiveness.
3. 历史上每一次成功的社会改革，都伴随着对旧有腐败风气的系统性清除，以及对新价值观的积极倡导与制度保障。 Historically, every successful social reform has been accompanied by a systematic clearing-out of entrenched corrupt practices, along with active promotion of new values and institutional guarantees to support them.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, education, business, social-commentary

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 良好的企业风气不会自然形成，它需要管理层以身作则，通过持续的制度建设与价值引导来营造一种鼓励诚信、勇于担当的组织文化。(A healthy corporate atmosphere does not form of its own accord — it requires management to lead by example, creating through sustained institutional building and value guidance an organisational culture that encourages integrity and the courage to take responsibility.)
• 要从根本上扭转一个地区长期积累的腐败风气，单靠运动式的集中整治往往难以奏效，必须着力构建长效的监督机制和问责体系。(To fundamentally reverse the corruption that has accumulated over a long period in a region, relying solely on campaign-style concentrated rectification is often difficult to sustain — sustained efforts must be made to build long-term supervision mechanisms and accountability systems.)

Don't Say

• 风气 for the physical atmosphere or climate — use 气候 for weather; 风气 refers exclusively to social, cultural, or organisational ethos

Origin & History

风 (wind; manner; social trend) + 气 (air; atmosphere; spirit) — the prevailing air or spirit of a social environment

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal