📖 Meaning
Literally describes wind and rain that arrive suddenly and violently. Used metaphorically for a force or event that strikes with great intensity and swiftness, often overwhelming whatever stands in its path.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in two Song dynasty sources. Wang Anshi used it in his elegy for the revered scholar-official Ouyang Xiu, comparing Ouyang's pure, haunting prose to the sudden arrival of driving wind and rain. The landscape painter Guo Xi also cited it in his treatise 'Linquan Gaozhi' to describe the dramatic summer storms that sweep over mountains, where dense clouds gather and rain bursts forth in gusts.
💡 Example Usage
这场飘风急雨来得突然，街上的行人纷纷躲避。
The sudden violent storm caught pedestrians off guard, sending them scurrying for shelter.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 飘风急雨
- Pinyin: piāo fēng jí yǔ
- Literal Translation: drifting wind, urgent rain
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4