不 翼 而 飞

bù yì ér fēidictionary entry

to disappear without trace / to vanish all of a sudden / to spread fast / to spread like wildfire

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-17d3b05878bef9fa. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不翼而飛 不翼而飞 [bu4 yi4 er2 fei1] /to disappear without trace/to vanish all of a sudden/to spread fast/to spread like wildfire/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 不翼而飛

不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
翼
yì
wing / area surrounding the bullseye of a target / to assist / one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy
Yì
surname Yi / alternative name for 絳|绛[Jiàng], the capital of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–475 BC)
而
ér
and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)
飞
fēi
to fly

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.