Cover photo from Loof.

Ask anyone to recite a Chinese idiom, and nine out of 10 answers would probably be 风和日丽.

Literally translated as “a fine sunny day with moderate wind”, it comprises four easy words to remember, and has a nice ring to it.

It has been so popular as the default opening to any Chinese essay (as long as it wasn’t raining in the story’s setting) that it’s now a national icon. You find it printed on Singapore heritage-inspired memorabilia, and even as a large decoration at a Southeast Asian-themed rooftop bar in town.

I’m surprised it has not been used as a title for a Mediacorp Channel 8 show yet.

The ubiquitous use of the Chinese phrase is so profound that it has since become a running joke to make fun of not just Singaporeans who did not master their Mother Tongue (like my colleague), but the rote learning that has become entrenched in Singapore’s education system.

After all, we were taught to memorise a thousand and one things in school, and yet 风和日丽 has still stuck with us all this time.