📖 Meaning
Literally 'wind combs the hair, rain washes the head.' It describes traveling and toiling through all kinds of weather, enduring hardship and exposure. It is a variant of the more common idiom '栉风沐雨'.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the 'Old Tang Book' (旧唐书), compiled by Shen Xu (沈昫) during the Later Jin dynasty (936–947 AD). In the annals of Emperor Xuanzong, the text describes loyal soldiers and commanders enduring the elements — exposed in the open wilderness, clearing thorns, fighting beasts — as a tribute to their perseverance in campaign. The example from Song dynasty historian Xue Juzheng (薛居正) further illustrates the idiom being used to admonish a noble who abandoned hardship for leisure while others toiled in the field.
💡 Example Usage
考察队栉沐风雨，终于完成了对无人区的科学勘测。
The expedition team braved wind and rain, and finally completed the scientific survey of the uninhabited region.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 栉沐风雨
- Pinyin: zhì mù fēng yǔ
- Literal Translation: comb, wash, wind, rain
- Category: Perseverance
- Characters: 4