飘

飄

piāo

verb HSK 7 #5,809

Meanings

Shùyè zài fēng zhōng piāolái piāoqù.

Leaves flutter back and forth in the wind.

Tiānshàng piāozhe jǐ duǒ báiyún.

A few white clouds are drifting in the sky.

Xuěhuā cóng kōngzhōng piāoluò xiàlái.

Snowflakes float down from the sky.

usage

飘 emphasizes light, graceful movement through air. Compare with 漂 (piāo) which means to float on water. Same pronunciation, different characters.

mistakes

Don't confuse 飘 (float in air) with 漂 (float on water) or 漂 (piào, pretty). The radical 风 (wind) in 飘 hints at airborne movement.

飘 piāo