How to Write 飑 (biāo) — Meaning “Squall”

Imagine a sudden, strong wind that 'wraps' you up like a package — the left side is wind (风) and the right side is 包 (bāo, meaning to wrap). Picture a squall hitting you so hard you feel wrapped in a windy blanket. The pinyin biāo sounds like "bee-yow!" — the noise a gust makes.

Write the left radical 风 first: a short left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook, then a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke (like a curved diagonal). The right side 包 should be narrower; especially note the 勹 (wrapping) component has a slight inward curve, and the bottom 巳 (snake) part must be closed neatly. Common mistake: making the right side too wide or forgetting the final hook on the left radical.

飑 (biāo) means a squall — a sudden, strong wind often linked to thunderstorms. 飐 (zhǎn) means to be blown by the wind or to flutter, like flags in a breeze; it uses a different right component (占). 飒 (sà) describes a brisk, rustling sound of wind (like 飒飒) and often implies a cool or heroic feeling, as in 英姿飒爽. Visually, 飑 has a 包 right side, 飐 has 占, and 飒 has 立 plus 风 (a different structure).

飑 is primarily used in meteorology to refer to a squall, a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed. It appears in compound words like 飑线 (squall line) and 飑锋 (squall front), which are important weather terms for forecasting storms. In daily conversation, it is rare; you are more likely to encounter it in news about severe weather or in scientific contexts.

Common words containing 飑 include: 飑线 (biāo xiàn) — Squall line; 狂风飑 (kuáng fēng biāo) — A violent squall.; 飑锋 (biāo fēng) — Squall front.