Chinese idiom · 成语
满城风雨
Meaning
The whole city full of wind and rain; widespread rumors or turmoil.
Character by character
Origin and story
literary anecdoteHuihong's Lengzhai Yehua (冷斋夜话) tells an anecdote about the Song poet Pan Dalin. Asked by letter whether he had written anything new, Pan replies that autumn offers wonderful material but ordinary worries keep intruding. Hearing wind and rain stirring the trees, he had risen and written a line about the whole city being swept by storm as the Double Ninth festival approached.
Then someone arrived to demand rent, breaking the mood, and that single line was all he could send. The weather in this literary anecdote is literal. Later, 满城风雨 acquired its familiar figurative force: a report or incident stirs discussion everywhere, as though rumor and controversy had become a storm blowing through the town.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
一条未经证实的消息，竟把公司闹得满城风雨。
A single unverified report caused a storm of gossip throughout the company.
Often used with 闹得 for widespread discussion, rumor, or controversy.