天氣 / 天气
tiānqì
Weather in Chinese, meaning the state of the atmosphere, is 天氣 / 天气 (tiānqì). The first spelling uses traditional characters and the second simplified characters. If unsure, use 天氣 / 天气. Wiktionary also lists 氣候 / 气候 (qìhòu) and 天景 (tiānjǐng).
Meaning: state of the atmosphere (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 天氣 / 天气 | tiānqì | |
| 氣候 / 气候 | qìhòu | literary |
| 天景 | tiānjǐng | literary |
天气 is the everyday word for the weather from day to day. To describe it, put an adverb and an adjective after it, as in 天氣很好, the weather is very good.
What does it mean word for word?
天氣 combines 天, sky and 氣, air or energy.
Which one should you use?
天氣 means short term weather conditions, while 氣候 / 气候 (qìhòu) means the long term climate. 天景 (tiānjǐng) is a literary word.
How does it change in a sentence?
天氣 is a noun and does not change for singular or plural.
How do you pronounce it?
天气 is pronounced tiānqì, with a high level tone on the first syllable and a falling tone on the second.
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, the word 氣 in 天氣 refers to a vital energy or life force. This is the same 氣 used in the word 氣功 ('qìgōng'), known in English as 'chi' or 'qi'.
- In ancient Chinese medicine, the concept of 氣 was used to explain how changes in the 天氣 caused imbalances in the human body. Weather was seen as an external force directly manipulating internal health.
- Asking someone about the 天氣 is a common way to start a polite conversation in China. It serves as a social lubricant similar to 'small talk' in English, rather than a genuine request for a forecast.
Examples in context
- 今天天气怎么样？How is the weather today?
- 今天的天气真好！The weather is really nice today!
- 简直热死了！It's so hot!
- 侬觉得今天凉唔凉？Do you think it's cool today?
- 明天会下雨吗？雨量会大吗？Will it rain tomorrow? Will it be heavy rain?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weather” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
