📖 Meaning
Describes something moving or happening with extreme speed, like a whirlwind sweeping past or a lightning bolt flashing and vanishing in an instant. It emphasizes both swiftness and the sudden, fleeting nature of the motion.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the ancient Chinese military treatise 'Six Secret Teachings' (《六韬》), attributed to Jiang Ziya of the Zhou Dynasty. In the chapter 'Wang Yi', it describes four mighty warriors tasked with selecting strong soldiers and sweeping away evil forces with wind-and-lightning speed. The phrase later appears in Qing Dynasty scholar Ji Yun's 'Notes from the Thatched Hut of Close Observations' (《阅微草堂笔记》), where it depicts a supernatural figure moving with breathtaking swiftness.
💡 Example Usage
那辆跑车风旋电掣般驶过赛道，瞬间消失在弯道尽头。
The sports car sped past the racetrack like a whirlwind and lightning, vanishing instantly at the curve's end.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 风旋电掣
- Pinyin: fēng xuán diàn chè
- Literal Translation: wind, whirl, lightning, flash
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4