fung1 jyu5 piu1 jiu4風雨飄搖风雨飘摇
Jyutpingfung1 jyu5 piu1 jiu4
Yalefūng yúh pīu yìuh
Definition
Swaying in the wind and rain; figuratively used to describe an unstable or precarious situation.
writtenother
How it's used
This idiom is used to describe a situation or organization that is extremely unstable and on the verge of collapse. It carries a heavy, serious tone and is typically reserved for formal writing, news reports, or dramatic discussions about crises. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation to describe minor inconveniences.
Examples
The company is currently in a precarious state, and everyone is very worried.
Facing the unstable political situation, he decided to emigrate.
Related words
Common phrases
the situation is precarious
the company is on the brink of collapse
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of bad weather. While it contains the words for wind and rain, it is strictly a metaphor for instability and should not be used to describe an actual storm.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
