风生水起
fēng shēng shuǐ qǐ
to flourish; to be thriving, booming
Character by character
风fēng
wind
wind
生shēng
arise
arise
水shuǐ
water
water
起qǐ
rise
rise
Example
他辞职回老家开民宿，没想到两年就做得风生水起。
He quit his job and went home to open a guesthouse, and to everyone’s surprise within two years it was thriving.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Usually in 做得风生水起 or 搞得风生水起, of a business, a career or a project that has taken off; colloquial and admiring. The picture of wind and water on the move is popularly linked to 风水 (lesson 7-1): when wind and water stir, luck is on your side.
Learn this in Lesson 147 · HSK 7–9: 冬奥之后的冰雪 (Ice and snow after the Winter Olympics)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →