浮想联翩 (fú xiǎng lián piān) — thoughts thronging one's mind; a stream of ideas and fantasies

Definition

A chengyu describing thoughts and fantasies flocking into the mind in rapid succession. It is literary and evocative — used to describe involuntary, vivid mental images rather than ordinary thinking.

idiom
thoughts thronging one's minda stream of ideas and fantasies

Examples

  • ，，浮想联翩。
    Dú wán nà běn xiǎo shuō, wǒ jiǔ jiǔ huí wèi, bù jīn fú xiǎng lián piān.
    After finishing that novel, I savored it for a long time and couldn't help but have a stream of thoughts.
  • ，，浮想联翩。
    Zhàn zài shān dǐng yuǎn tiào, yún hǎi fān teng, ràng rén fú xiǎng lián piān.
    Standing on the mountaintop and gazing into the distance, with the sea of clouds churning, one's mind is filled with thoughts.
  • ，，浮想联翩。
    Fān kàn lǎo zhào piàn, tóng nián wǎng shì lì lì zài mù, bù jué fú xiǎng lián piān.
    Flipping through old photos, childhood memories came vividly to mind, and I unconsciously had a flood of thoughts.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
孚
孚fú浮fú
Same sound today

浮 pairs 水 (river) with 孚, which gives the sound; the river part points to its meaning of floating.

Open 浮 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart, mind
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng想xiǎng
Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.

Open 想 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聯; 联 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聯 combines 耳 (ear) and 絲 (silk); 联 is a simplified form of 聯.

Open 联 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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