Writing Balance Rule: Center the character carefully; ensure the sweeping upward right stroke balances the graceful left-falling wing stroke.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form (飛) depicts two elaborate wings spreading out; the simplified form (飞) streamlines the strokes into three dynamic, highly efficient lines while keeping the core silhouette.
1. Meaning
to fly
to hoverto flutterfast or swift movementhovering or floating in the air
VerbNeutral#movement#animals#aviation
Sample Usage
鸟儿在天上飞。
niǎo ér zài tiān shàng fēi.
Birds are flying in the sky.
飞机
fēi jī
airplane
2. Sound
/[feɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
飞
fēifei1
|
++
¯(55)
=fēi
Initial Consonant
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound as in 'fish'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch the inner part of the lower lip while air gently escapes continuously.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'hey' or 'bay'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at the top of your vocal range, like a sustained musical note on a piano.
👂
Listening trap: Beginners often mistake the flat Tone 1 for a rising Tone 2 because of the rising movement in the English word 'fei' when pronounced with excitement. Keep it completely flat and high.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat horizon line drawn in the air with a steady finger, matching a sustained high musical note.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Center the character carefully; ensure the sweeping upward right stroke balances the graceful left-falling wing stroke.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form (飛) depicts two elaborate wings spreading out; the simplified form (飞) streamlines the strokes into three dynamic, highly efficient lines while keeping the core silhouette.
4. Components
Radical飞 · Fly Radical (flying or wings)
The character visually mimics a bird spreading its wings and soaring upward into the sky.
乛 Horizontal turning stroke representing the head and leading edge of a wing
ノ Left-falling stroke representing the left wing
㇏ Right-sweeping stroke representing the right wing
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: In Oracle Bone inscriptions, 飞 was drawn as a bird with outstretched wings curving upward, vividly capturing the motion of flight.
Semantic Evolution: From depicting a physical bird flying, the character extended to mean any object moving rapidly through the air, and later abstractly to things moving with great speed.
The ancient shape clearly resembles a swallow or bird gliding through the wind.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
phi
Corresponds to the Vietnamese ngang (flat) tone, maintaining a high level pitch.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒ (hi) / Kun: と.ぶ (to.bu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
비
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'f' sound in Mandarin often corresponds to Japanese 'h' or 'p' historical readings (like 'hi'), and English words starting with 'f' or 'pl'/'fl'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Picture a majestic bird spreading its two sweeping wings (ノ and ㇏) connected by its body, soaring high into the sky, shouting 'FEE!' as it flies.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
绯
fēiscarlet / dark redAdd the silk radical (纟) to mean crimson silk fabrics.
匪
fěibandit / brigandEnclose it in a box radical (匚) to represent bandits locked away.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
非(fēi)
非 means 'not' and features two vertical columns of horizontal lines separated by a middle vertical line, looking like prison bars rather than soaring wings.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
大雁每年秋天都要向南方[___]。
Clue: fēi
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 飞 (fēi - to fly) with 非 (fēi - not / wrong) due to their near-identical pronunciation and structural similarity.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the 3-stroke winged shape 飞, what does it mean and how is it read?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to fly' with Pinyin fēi?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
Search theme
Accent preference
Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.
飞fēito fly
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...