‘扇风’ is a verb meaning to move air with a fan or other object, typically to cool oneself or something else. The character 扇 (shān) here is a verb meaning 'to wave' or 'to fan', while 风 (fēng) means 'wind' or 'air'. Together, they literally mean 'to fan wind' — that is, to create airflow by waving a fan, hand, or piece of paper. It’s commonly used in everyday contexts like hot weather, cooking, or even figuratively to describe fanning flames.

This expression is neutral in register and widely understood across dialects. It can refer to physical cooling (e.g., fanning a person) or intensifying fire (e.g., fanning embers to revive a flame). Unlike the noun form 扇子 (shànzi, 'fan'), 扇风 always functions as a verb and requires an agent performing the action — it cannot stand alone as a subject or object without context.