hū忽suddenlylěng冷coldhū忽suddenlyrè热hot
Hot and cold; fickle; inconsistent.
Literal meaning
suddenly (忽) — cold (冷) — suddenly (忽) — hot (热)
Origin
Describes something that changes unpredictably, like the weather or someone's attitude. A classical four-character phrase.
Examples
Zuì最jìn近de的tiān天qì气hū忽lěng冷hū忽rè热,hěn很róng容yì易gǎn感mào冒。
The weather has been hot and cold recently, making it easy to catch a cold.
Tā他duì对wǒ我de的tài态dù度hū忽lěng冷hū忽rè热,ràng让wǒ我hěn很kùn困huò惑。
His attitude towards me is hot and cold, which confuses me.
Usage & nuances
Can describe weather, relationships, or attitudes that are inconsistent.
Learn idioms by speaking them
Idioms are most useful when they land in a real conversation. Practice them out loud in Kango — get instant feedback on tone and timing.
Download Kango on iOS