运斤成风 — “Describes someone's superb craftsmanship or highly skilled technique”

运斤成风 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes someone's superb craftsmanship or highly skilled technique”. Often used when an action is performed with such ease and mastery that it seems effortless. Literally, “Wielding an axe to create a wind”.

Frequency

运斤成风 Pronunciation and Pinyin

运斤成风 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
运	yùn	7	move, transport, operate, luck
斤	jīn	4	Chinese unit of weight
成	chéng	7	to become or succeed
风	fēng	4	wind, air current, custom

Example Sentence with 运斤成风

这位经验丰富的木匠，在制作精细家具时，总是运斤成风，每一刀都恰到好处。

The experienced carpenter, when crafting intricate furniture, always works with such mastery, each cut perfectly precise.

Origin and Story of 运斤成风

In Ying, the capital of the Chu state, there lived a brave and composed man. His friend Shi was a highly skilled craftsman.

Once, they performed an amazing feat: the man from Ying applied a thin layer of white powder, as delicate as a fly's wing, to the tip of his nose, and asked Shi to remove it with an axe.

The craftsman calmly swung his axe, and with a 'whoosh,' the white powder was completely shaved off. The man from Ying's nose tip remained unharmed, and he stood there unperturbed, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

When the Duke of Song heard about this, he greatly admired Shi's extraordinary skill and the man from Ying's courage, wishing to witness the performance himself. So, the Duke respectfully invited craftsman Shi to perform it again.

Shi replied, 'My dear friend has passed away; I have lost my only partner, and can no longer perform it.'

Based on this story, later generations adopted 'Yun Jin Cheng Feng' as an idiom, metaphorically describing someone's skilled technique and superb craftsmanship.