风流 fēngliú distinguished and accomplished
distinguished and accomplished; outstanding; talented in letters and unconventional in lifestyle; romantic; dissolute; loose
How to remember 风流: 风 wind + 流 flow = distinguished and accomplished.
Characters
How it is used
- Two very different senses: talented and unconventional - 风流才子 (fēngliú cáizǐ) a brilliant, romantic genius - and loose/philandering - 风流成性 (fēngliú chéngxìng) incorrigibly promiscuous.
- Historically admiring (dashing, cultured, free-spirited); in modern use often the disparaging 'flirtatious/dissolute'.
- Tone depends entirely on context; 风流韵事 = a romantic affair.