seon6 fung1順風顺风
Jyutpingseon6 fung1
Yaleseuhn fūng
Definition
To travel or sail with a tailwind; to go in the direction of the wind.
colloquialnaturetransport
How it's used
Beyond the literal nautical sense, this term is frequently used metaphorically in the idiom 順風順水 to describe a situation where everything is going smoothly without obstacles. It carries a positive connotation of ease and favorable conditions. While it describes the wind direction, it is rarely used to describe the wind itself, focusing instead on the movement of the object relative to the wind.
Examples
There is a tailwind today, the boat is moving very fast.
Do you want to sail with the wind to the opposite shore?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 順便, which means to do something while you are already doing something else. Learners sometimes mistakenly use 順風 to mean doing something conveniently, which is incorrect.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
