刮风

• Pinyin: guā fēng
• Hanzi breakdown: 刮 = 刀 (knife) + 舌 (tongue) — originally to scrape; extended to the blowing action of wind; 风 = 几 (table frame) + 虫 (insect) — pictograph of wind moving through the air

Meaning

It is windy; the wind blows. A verb-object phrase used to describe windy weather conditions.

Used as a verb-object compound where 刮 (to blow/scrape) acts as the verb and 风 (wind) is the object. Heard frequently in weather descriptions and daily speech. Can appear metaphorically to describe trends or influences spreading across an industry or social setting.

Examples

1. 今天外面刮风，出门记得多穿一件外套，别着凉了。 It’s windy outside today—remember to wear an extra jacket when you go out so you don’t catch a cold.
2. 外面刮风下雨，他依然按时出现在工地上，一刻不曾懈怠。 It was windy and rainy outside, but he still showed up at the construction site on time and never slacked off for a moment.
3. 消息一传开，整个行业都像刮风一般跟进了这一新兴趋势。 Once the news got out, the whole industry jumped on the emerging trend like the wind.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, daily life, environment

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 外面刮风了，把窗户关上吧。(It's windy outside, let's close the windows.)
• 这次刮风带来了大量沙尘，城市空气质量明显下降。(This wind brought a great deal of dust, noticeably lowering the city's air quality.)

Don't Say

• 用'刮风'来描述某人夸夸其谈、讲话没有实质内容 — 刮风 is not used for empty talk; use 吹牛 or 说大话 instead for boastful or hollow speech

Origin & History

刮 (to blow; to scrape) + 风 (wind). A verb-object compound describing the action of wind blowing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal