📖 Meaning
A sudden and dramatic shift in a volatile situation. Wind and clouds serve as a metaphor for turbulent, rapidly changing circumstances, implying that the political or social landscape has abruptly transformed.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a 1929 poem titled 'Qingping Yue: Jiang-Gui War' by Mao Zedong. The poem opens with the line 'wind and clouds suddenly change, warlords resume warfare,' describing the sudden outbreak of conflict among rival military factions during China's Warlord Era. The imagery of wind and clouds evokes the unpredictability of the political climate at the time. Over the decades the expression entered common usage as a vivid metaphor for any abrupt change in circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
国际风云突变，公司不得不紧急调整海外市场战略。
With a sudden shift in the international situation, the company had to urgently adjust its overseas market strategy.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 风云突变
- Pinyin: fēng yún tū biàn
- Literal Translation: wind, cloud, sudden, change
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4