CHENGYU
风声鹤唳(fēng shēng hè lì)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《晋书·谢玄传》
MEANING
- Literal
- the wind's sound and the crane's cry
- Figurative meaning
- panic that turns every sound into an enemy attack
ORIGIN STORY
The same fleeing Qin army from the Fei River battle took every sound of wind and every cry of a crane for pursuing Jin troops. The phrase pairs with 草木皆兵 to describe utter panic.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to be in a blue funk”
EXAMPLES
空袭警报后，全城风声鹤唳。Kōngxí jǐngbào hòu, quán chéng fēng shēng hè lì.HSK6
After the air-raid alarm, the whole city heard enemies in every sound.
股市暴跌，投资者风声鹤唳。Gǔshì bàodiē, tóuzīzhě fēng shēng hè lì.HSK6
As the market crashed, investors panicked at every whisper.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 唳 is lì. It is usually used together with or echoing 草木皆兵.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01