verb HSK 3
Traditional 刮風
to be windy · the wind blows
Meaning
刮风 literally means 'to scrape wind' and describes the action or state of wind blowing. It's used to describe windy weather conditions and is one of the most common weather expressions in Chinese.
Usage
Native speakers use 刮风 to describe any situation where wind is blowing, from a light breeze to strong gusts. It commonly appears with weather-related words like 下雨 (to rain) or 打雷 (to thunder). Often used in the pattern '外面刮风了' (it's windy outside) or '今天刮风' (it's windy today).
Examples
- 01今天刮风，你出门要小心。, .It's windy today, be careful when you go out.
- 02外面刮风下雨，我们别出去了。, .It's windy and rainy outside, let's not go out.
Characters
Common collocations
- 刮大风to blow strong wind
- 刮风下雨windy and rainy
- 外面刮风it's windy outside
Origin
刮 originally means 'to scrape' or 'to blow away,' and when combined with 风 (wind), it vividly describes the scraping or sweeping action of wind across surfaces.