纷飞

紛飛

fēnfēi

verb #31,867

Meanings

1 to fall thick and fast (snow, petals, etc.)
2 to flutter about
3 to swirl in the air

Characters

numerous, in profusion

Examples

HSK 3

大雪纷飞，整个城市变得安静。

Dàxuě fēnfēi, zhěnggè chéngshì biàn de ānjìng.

Snow swirled down thickly, and the whole city grew quiet.

HSK 7-9

战火纷飞的年代里，人们渴望和平。

Zhànhuǒ fēnfēi de niándài lǐ, rénmen kěwàng hépíng.

In an era of raging warfare, people longed for peace.

Tips

register

Literary/poetic. Standard collocations: 大雪纷飞 (heavy snow swirling), 柳絮纷飞 (willow catkins floating), 战火纷飞 (warfare raging - literally 'war-fires flying everywhere'). Rare in casual speech.

memory

纷 = 'numerous, in disarray'; 飞 = 'to fly'. So: 'flying about in disorderly multitudes' - the perfect verb for snowflakes.

Stroke Order

纷 fēn

飞 fēi