风云
fēng yún · HSK 7
weather
🌬️☁️ 风 wind + 云 clouds = literal weather, figurative turmoil
Compound of 风 (fēng, wind) and 云 (yún, clouds). Literally the sky's weather; figuratively the shifting winds and clouds of an unstable political or social situation.
风 — 几 (table) + 虫 (insect)
Originally written 鳳 (phoenix), later simplified. The traditional form 風 contains 虫 (insect), reflecting an old belief that wind brought insects or that creatures stirred with the wind. The modern simplified 风 keeps 几 as an outer frame around 㐅.
云 — top 一 + 厶 (swirling cloud shape)
Originally a pictograph of a swirling cloud, written 云 in oracle bones. Later 雨 (rain) was added on top to form 雲, clarifying the weather meaning. In simplified Chinese, 云 was restored as the standard form and also serves as a literary verb meaning 'to say'.