不翼而飞

不翼而飛

bùyì'érfēi

idiom HSK 7-9 #22,864

Meanings

1 to vanish without a trace; to disappear into thin air
2 to spread like wildfire (of news)

Characters

yet; but (literary)

Literally 'to fly without wings' - something disappears as if it flew away, despite having no wings.

Examples

HSK 1

我的钱包不翼而飞了。

Wǒ de qiánbāo bùyì'érfēi le.

My wallet vanished into thin air.

HSK 3

消息不翼而飞，很快传遍了全城。

Xiāoxi bùyì'érfēi, hěnkuài chuánbiàn le quánchéng.

The news spread like wildfire and quickly reached the whole city.

HSK 4

桌上的文件不翼而飞。

Zhuōshàng de wénjiàn bùyì'érfēi.

The documents on the desk disappeared without a trace.

Tips

usage

不翼而飞 has two opposite meanings depending on context: (1) something physical disappears mysteriously (wallet, money, documents), and (2) news/information spreads rapidly everywhere. Context makes it clear which meaning is intended - things vanish, but news flies.

Stroke Order

不 bù

翼 yì

而 ér

飞 fēi