风声鹤唳 in English feng1 sheng1 he4 li4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) wind sighing and crane calling (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to panic at the slightest move
  • to be jittery

Simplified Characters

风 声 鹤 唳

Traditional Characters

風 聲 鶴 唳

Pinyin

feng1 sheng1 he4 li4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

风feng1wind 声sheng1sound 鹤he4crane 唳li4cry of a crane or wild goose