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

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.

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