How many words to describe "winds" in English and

[pazu]

I'm reading Hugh McManners' Outdoor Survival Guide now (haha, published by DK), on p133 he listed some names for winds, here's the list:

Calm, light air, light breeze, gentle breeze, moderate breeze, fresh breeze, strong breeze, near gale, gale, strong gale, storm, violent storm, hurricane.

Rather dull, but it's quite clear which is stronger than the other.

Let's see the Chinese translations I learnt when I was a scout (maybe not accurate).

(TC) 無風、軟風、輕風、微風、和風、清風、強風、疾風、火風、烈風、強風、暴風、颱風。

(SC) 无风、软风、轻风、微风、和风、清风、强风、疾风、火风、烈风、强风、暴风、台风。

(PY) wu2 feng1、ruan3 feng1、qing1 feng1、wei2 feng1、he2 feng1、qing1 feng1、qiang2 feng1、ji2 feng1、huo3 feng1、lie4 feng1、qiang2 feng1、bao4 feng1、tai2 feng1。

IMHO, 疾風 is a better term than just "gale", 和风 and 清风 are more beautiful than their English equivalents. But these Chinese terms all have one drawback, most outsiders can't tell the difference between them, especially when you compare:

輕風、微風 and light breeze, gentile breeze.

Even if you use Hanyu Dazidian or Dacidian, you will still have some problem to figure out the difference between 輕 and 微.

[Altair]

These are some interesting comparisons.

Why does 強風 appear twice in the list?

I must confess that I am not only puzzled by the difference between these words, but also by how they differ from 軟 and 和. I had thought that 輕 meant "light," 微 meant "slight" (even lighter than light), 軟 was "soft," and 和 was "gentle."

I would rank the English words in the following order, according to increasing strength: slight, gentle, soft, and light. "Slight" means barely able to register or be noticed. "Gentle" means incapable of causing harm or irritation, whether the harm is to health or to a physical surface. "Soft" means lacking a harsh feel, but is more ambiguous as to strength. If someone throws a pillow at your head, the pillow will remain soft, but can still knock you over. "Light" means "not heavy," but does not require any particular minimum. I think of a "light" breeze as something that will not impede my normal physical actions, but will have a noticeable effect on light objects.

In a slight breeze, I will notice that a curtain moves, rather than hanging still. In a gentle breeze, the curtain will move rhythmically and pleasantly, with no possibility of damage. In a soft breeze, the curtain will move in a way that would feel nice to the touch and would not whip around. In a light breeze, the curtain might move around on the curtain rod.

How should the equivalent Chinese words be ranked, and why?

[shibo77]

In the Mainland, and 联合国世界气象组UN:World Meteorlogical Organisation standards utilise the 蒲福氏风级Beaufort scale for wind strength.

Beaufort scale wind force/Chinese/HanyuPinyin/English

Phenomenon observed on land.

Phenomenon observed on sea.

0无风Wu2 feng1 Calm

Smoke rises vertically.

Sea is as calm as a mirror.

1软风Ruan3 feng1 Light Air

Smoke drifts slowly.

Scaly ripples, no foam crests.

2轻风Qing1 feng1 Light Breeze

Wind felt on face, leaves rustle.

Glassy crests, not breaking.

3微风Wei1 feng1 Gentle Breeze

Leaves and flags in motion.

Larger crests breaking, scattered whitecaps.

4和风He2 feng1 Moderate Breeze

Small branches move, loose paper raised into the air.

Small waves growing longer, numerous whitecaps.

5清风Qing1 feng1 Fresh Breeze

Small trees sway.

Moderate waves in longer form, many white caps, some spray.

6强风Qiang2 feng1 Strong Breeze

Large branches sway, whistling heard in power wires, umbrellas used with difficulty.

Larger waves, more spray, whitecaps seen everywhere.

7疾风Ji2 feng1 Near Gale

Whole trees moving, resistance felt walking against the wind.

Heaps of waves, streaks of foam from breaking waves.

8大风Da4 feng1 Gale

Twigs break off, walking against the wind impeded.

Fairly high waves of greater length, well-marked streaks.

9烈风Lie4 feng1 Strong Gale

Large branches break off, slight structural damage.

High waves, rolling sea, dense streaks. Visibility reduces.

10狂风Kuang2 feng1 Storm

Trees uprooted, significant structural damage.

Sea is white in foam with very high waves colliding each other. Heavy rolling sea with further reduced visibility.

11暴风Bao4 feng1 Violent Storm

Widespread damage.

Exceptionally high waves, sea covered with white foam. Violent rolling sea with significantly reduced visibility.

12飓风Ju4 feng1 Hurriane

Violent movement of trees. Extreme damage. This is seldom encountered on land.

Phenomenal waves, air filled with foam and driving spray. Visibility greatly reduced.

Extended:

13一级飓风Yi1 ji2 Ju4 feng1 Level One Hurricane

14二级飓风Er4 ji2 Ju4 feng1 Level Two Hurricane

15三级飓风San1 ji2 Ju4 feng1 Level Three Hurricane

16四级飓风Si4 ji2 Ju4 feng1 Level Four Hurricane

17五级飓风Wu3 ji2 Ju4 feng1 Level Five Hurricane

Maximum and extensive damage. These are rarely encountered on land.

Phenomenal waves, air filled with foam and driving spray. Visibility greatly reduced.

-Shibo