📖 Meaning
Describes gentle, favorable winds and rain coming in the right season, suggesting ideal weather for crops. It is most often used metaphorically for benevolence, grace, or a time of virtuous, orderly governance. The image is of nature itself responding kindly to those in power.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase has roots in ancient Chinese agrarian thought, where seasonal winds and timely rain were seen as signs of heaven's favor. Similar wording appears in classical historical and philosophical texts describing prosperous, well-governed eras. Over time it shifted from a literal description of good weather into a stock metaphor for the grace and virtue of a ruler. No single definitive origin story is recorded for it.
💡 Example Usage
圣人在位，祥风时雨，五谷丰登。
With a sage upon the throne, auspicious winds and timely rain prevail and the five grains flourish.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 祥风时雨
- Pinyin: xiáng fēng shí yǔ
- Literal Translation: auspicious wind, timely rain
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4