📖 Meaning
The idiom means secretly passing one party's confidential information to the opposing side. The character '风' (wind) refers to news or rumors. It describes the act of leaking intelligence or giving someone a covert tip-off.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel '黄绣球' (The Yellow Embroidered Ball) by Yi Suo (颐锁). In its twentieth chapter, a shopkeeper is described as malicious, and someone is sent to inform the Chen residence of the situation while the local bailiff keeps watch over the shopkeeper. The phrase '通风报信' arose from this context of secretly conveying news to one side, and has since come to describe the act of covertly passing information or warnings.
💡 Example Usage
他暗中给敌人通风报信，泄露了我们的行动计划。
He secretly tipped off the enemy, leaking our action plan.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 通风报信
- Pinyin: tōng fēng bào xìn
- Literal Translation: through, wind, report, news
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4