📖 Meaning
Refers to literary writing that merely depicts natural scenery such as wind, clouds, moon, and dew, while lacking substantive ideological content or depth. It is a pejorative term for superficially ornate but thematically hollow compositions.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of '咏月嘲风' (yǒng yuè cháo fēng), which appears in classical Chinese literary criticism to disparage poetry and prose that pursue ornamental elegance at the expense of meaningful content. It reflects the Confucian literary tradition's emphasis on moral and philosophical substance in writing. The phrase gained currency among literati during the Tang and Song dynasties, when critics used it to censure works they deemed frivolous or escapist.
💡 Example Usage
那些咏嘲风月的诗句，读来虽美却空洞无物。
Those poems that merely chant about wind and moon, though beautiful to read, are hollow and devoid of substance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 咏嘲风月
- Pinyin: yǒng cháo fēng yuè
- Literal Translation: chant, mock, wind, moon
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4