Definition
不翼而飞 (bù yì ér fēi) literally means 'without wings, yet flies'. It is used in two opposite figurative senses: (1) for objects that vanish mysteriously, and (2) for news or rumors that spread extremely fast.
phrase
(of objects) to vanish without a trace(of news, rumors) to spread like wildfire
Examples
- ，不翼而飞。Wǒ de shǒujī fàng zài zhuō shàng, yì zhuǎnyǎn jiù bù yì ér fēi le.My phone was on the table, and in the blink of an eye it vanished.
- 不翼而飞，。Zhège xiāoxi bù yì ér fēi, bú dào bàntiān quán chéng dōu zhīdào le.This news spread like wildfire — within half a day the whole city knew.
- 不翼而飞。Tā gāng mǎi de zìxíngchē dì èr tiān jiù bù yì ér fēi le.The bicycle he just bought vanished the next day.
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