A character of ever-changing fortunes
This summer is set to see record-high temperatures again due to global warming, scientists predict. While some seek refuge with an air-conditioner, others prefer resorts in the mountains or by the sea, enjoying beautiful scenery and a cool breeze.
The character 风 (fēng, wind) appeared on oracle bones over 3,000 years ago. Being invisible and intangible, wind couldn’t have many meaningful radicals, and was given the same pictorial form as its homophone 凤 (fèng), the character for the mythical phoenix. The outside radical, 凡, indicated its pronunciation. In the Qin dynasty (221 – 207 BCE), the character evolved into two separate seal-script forms: 鳳 (fèng) for the bird, and 風 (fēng) for the weather. Both were then later simplified, with and the phoenix becoming 凤 again, and the wind written as 风.
Words carrying 风 describe different types of draughts, including 微风 (wēifēng, breeze), 大风 (dàfēng, gale), 季风 (jìfēng, monsoon), and 台风 (táifēng, typhoon). Some are also metaphors: For instance, 春风 (chūnfēng, “spring breeze”) can also refer to a pleasant feeling, expression, or setting, as in 他近来很顺利，春风满面。( Tā jìnlái hěn shùnlì, chūnfēng mǎnmiàn. “Things have gone well for him lately, so his face is full of joy.”)
On the Character: 风 is a story from our issue, “Wild Rides.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.
Dr. Huang Weijia is a senior lecturer in Chinese language at Boston University and a distinguished research fellow at Shaanxi Normal University. He has taught courses in modern and classical Chinese and Chinese culture at Harvard University, Brown University, and the Middlebury College Summer Program. Dr. Huang has authored a series of successful textbooks and reference books in the US, Chinese mainland, and Hong Kong, including the Readings in Chinese Culture series. He has also written numerous articles on cross-cultural and Chinese studies for newspapers and magazines in the US and China.
Tan Yunfei is the editorial director of The World of Chinese. She reports on Chinese language, food, traditions, and society. Having grown up in a rural community and mainly lived in the cities since college, she tries to explore and better understand China's evolving rural and urban life with all readers.
