📖 Meaning
A metaphor for a frivolous, flirtatious person who constantly seeks to entice and approach women. The imagery evokes bees and butterflies flitting restlessly from flower to flower without settling. It describes someone with a fickle, insincere attitude toward romance.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming dynasty playwright Gu Dadian's work 'Qingshan Ji' (青衫记), in the scene 'Pei Xing's Private Sigh' (裴兴私叹). The original line reads '不相饶，游蜂浪蝶簇花梢，生来懒去追欢笑' — describing bees and butterflies clustering around flower blossoms without restraint. Over time, the vivid image of restless insects swarming flowers evolved into a metaphor for fickle men who chase after women without genuine sincerity.
💡 Example Usage
他生性风流，整日混迹于脂粉堆中，活脱一个游蜂浪蝶。
He is by nature a philanderer, spending his days mingling among women — a textbook example of a wandering bee and roaming butterfly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 游蜂浪蝶
- Pinyin: yóu fēng làng dié
- Literal Translation: wandering bees, roaming butterflies
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4