📖 Meaning
To stir up trouble where there is none, fabricating incidents without cause. It carries the sense of deliberately creating conflict or mischief out of nothing, similar to the English idiom 'making a mountain out of a molehill' but with more intentional malice.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase is attested in modern Chinese literature, notably in Lu Xun's collection '集外集' (Outer Collection), in the piece '咬嚼未始乏味' (Chewing Is Not Without Flavor). In the original passage, Lu Xun responds to an accusation regarding the use of the character '她' (she/her), clarifying that he was simply translating the English word 'she' and was not, as charged, '无风作浪' — fabricating trouble without cause. The idiom is a variant of the earlier expression '无风起浪' (to raise waves without wind).
💡 Example Usage
他这番话纯属无风作浪，想挑起同事之间的矛盾。
His remarks were nothing but stirring up trouble without cause, aimed at provoking conflict among his colleagues.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无风作浪
- Pinyin: wú fēng zuò làng
- Literal Translation: no wind, make waves
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4