📖 Meaning
To fly away without wings. It is a metaphor for something disappearing suddenly and mysteriously, as if it vanished into thin air. It can also describe news or rumors spreading rapidly and widely.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to two classical sources. In the Guanzi (Jie chapter), it is written that 'what flies without wings is reputation,' highlighting how fame spreads without visible means. The Zhanguo Ce (Qin Ce III) reinforces this idea, stating that what the masses say can spread without wings. Together these texts gave rise to the idiom, originally about rapid spread of word, later extending to the sudden loss of objects.
💡 Example Usage
抽屉里的手表不翼而飞，他翻遍了整个房间也没找到。
The watch in the drawer vanished without a trace, and even after searching the entire room he couldn't find it.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不翼而飞
- Pinyin: bù yì ér fēi
- Literal Translation: no, wings, yet, fly away
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4