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清风明月

qīng fēng míng yuèdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. cool breeze and bright moon (idiom) / fig. peaceful and clear night / (allusively) living a solitary and quiet life
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-2779866f25f4196e. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

清風明月 清风明月 [qing1 feng1 ming2 yue4] /lit. cool breeze and bright moon (idiom)/fig. peaceful and clear night/(allusively) living a solitary and quiet life/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 清風明月

  • 清
    qīng

    (of water etc) clear / clean / quiet / still / pure / uncorrupted / clear / distinct / to clear / to settle (accounts)

    Qīng

    Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911) / surname Qing

  • 风
    fēng

    wind / news / style / custom / manner / CL:陣|阵[zhèn],絲|丝[sī]

  • 明
    míng

    bright / opposite: dark 暗[àn] / (of meaning) clear / to understand / next / public or open / wise / generic term for a sacrifice to the gods

    Míng

    Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) / surname Ming / Ming (c. 2000 BC), fourth of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝[Yán dì] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shén nóng] Farmer God

  • 月
    yuè

    moon / month / monthly / CL:個|个[gè],輪|轮[lún]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.