飘 (piāo) · to float, to drift, to flutter

Meanings

1 to float
2 to drift
3 to flutter

Characters

飘

piāo

to float; to drift (in the air)

Examples

HSK 5

天上飘着几朵白云。

Tiānshàng piāo zhe jǐ duǒ báiyún.

A few white clouds are drifting in the sky.

HSK 5

雪花从空中飘落下来。

Xuěhuā cóng kōngzhōng piāoluò xiàlái.

Snowflakes float down from the sky.

HSK 7-9

树叶在风中飘来飘去。

Shùyè zài fēng zhōng piāo lái piāo qù.

Leaves flutter back and forth in the wind.

Tips

usage

飘 emphasizes light, graceful movement through air. Compare with 漂 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.

Components

radical

风 fēng

wind

Wind radical on the right - also 飘's indexing radical (Kangxi #182). Direct semantic anchor: anything that floats, blows, or flutters belongs in the wind family. Same radical in 飓 (hurricane), 飙 (gust), 飕 (whistle of wind). The simplified 风 keeps the outer enclosure with 乂 inside; traditional 風 had 虫 inside instead.

phonetic

票 piào

ticket; slip

Left side 票 supplies the sound directly: piào → piāo with only a tone shift. 票's own etymology - fire 火 over an upper portion - meant a flying spark; that lingering image of a wind-tossed ember reinforces 飘's 'float, flutter, drift.' Same phonetic in 漂 (piāo, drift on water), 瓢 (piáo, gourd ladle).