thick clouds but no rain; brewing trouble; impending event
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
thick clouds gather but no rain falls; a metaphor for an impending situation that has not yet erupted
literaryUsed to describe a tense, preparatory, or uncertain state before a significant event, often implying the calm before the storm.
Tán谈
pàn判
qián前
de的
jǐn紧
zhāng张
qì气
fēn氛
，
pō颇
yǒu有
jǐ几
fēn分
mì密
yún云
bù不
yǔ雨
de的
yì意
wèi味
。
The tense atmosphere before the negotiations carries a sense of thick clouds gathering without rain.
Gōng公
sī司
nèi内
bù部
de的
máo矛
dùn盾
yǐ已
jīng经
mì密
yún云
bù不
yǔ雨
hěn很
jiǔ久
le了
，
chí迟
zǎo早
huì会
bào爆
fā发
。
The internal conflicts within the company have been brewing for a long time and will erupt sooner or later.
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Zhàn战
zhēng争
qián前
nà那
duàn段
mì密
yún云
bù不
yǔ雨
de的
shí时
qī期
zuì最
ràng让
rén人
gǎn感
dào到
yā压
yì抑
。
The period of thick clouds without rain before the war felt the most oppressive.