風雨飄搖

Chinese

		wind and rain; the elements; trials and hardships	to sway in the wind; to shake; to totter to sway in the wind; to shake; to totter; to float in the wind
trad. (風雨飄搖)		風雨	飄搖
simp. (风雨飘摇)		风雨	飘摇

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 155 (《詩經·豳風·鴟鴞》):

予羽譙譙，予尾翛翛。予室翹翹，風雨所漂搖。予維音嘵嘵。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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予羽谯谯，予尾翛翛。予室翘翘，风雨所漂摇。予维音哓哓。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Yǔ yǔ qiáoqiáo, yǔ wěi xiāoxiāo. Yú shì qiáoqiáo, fēngyǔ suǒ piàoyáo. Yǔ wéi yīn xiāoxiāo. [Pinyin]

My wings are all-injured;
My tail is all-broken;
My house is in a perilous condition;
It is tossed about in the wind and rain:
I can but cry out with this note of alarm.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fēngyǔpiāoyáo

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄥ ㄩˇ ㄆㄧㄠ ㄧㄠˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fung¹ jyu⁵ piu¹ jiu⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fēngyǔpiāoyáo
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄥ ㄩˇ ㄆㄧㄠ ㄧㄠˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fongyǔpiaoyáo
    • Wade–Giles: fêng¹-yü³-pʻiao¹-yao²
    • Yale: fēng-yǔ-pyāu-yáu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fengyeupiauyau
    • Palladius: фэнъюйпяояо (fɛnʺjujpjaojao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fɤŋ⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fung¹ jyu⁵ piu¹ jiu⁴
    • Yale: fūng yúh pīu yìuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fung¹ jy⁵ piu¹ jiu⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: fung¹ yu⁵ piu¹ yiu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fʊŋ⁵⁵ jyː¹³ pʰiːu̯⁵⁵ jiːu̯²¹/

Idiom

風雨飄搖

1. (of a situation) turbulent; precarious; tottering