风吹草动

Pronunciation: fēng chuī cǎo dòng Literal meaning: Wind blows grass moves

Origin & Usage

Wind (风) blows (吹) and the grass (草) moves (动). A Dunhuang narrative of Wu Zixu in flight gives the phrase its setting, and the setting is the point: a hunted man reads the grass because it is the only instrument he has. What the phrase names is not a threat but a sign of one — the smallest observable disturbance, which may mean everything or nothing. The standard construction is 一有风吹草动, at the first hint of anything.

Examples

English: "The military command analyzed every minor border incident for signs of potential conflict"

Chinese: 军事指挥部分析每一个微小的边境事件，寻找潜在冲突的迹象