插翅难飞 (chā chì nán fēi) — (idiom) to be unable to escape; to be trapped with no way out

Definition

A vivid chengyu meaning 'even with wings added, one still couldn't fly away' — total, inescapable entrapment. Used for criminals cornered by police or enemies completely surrounded.

idiom
to be unable to escapeto be trapped with no way out

Examples

  • ，插翅难飞。
    Jǐng chá yǐ jīng bāo wéi le dà lóu, zuì fàn chā chì nán fēi.
    The police have surrounded the building; the criminal can't escape.
  • ，插翅难飞。
    Zài zhè yàng yán mì de jiān kòng xià, tā chā chì nán fēi.
    Under such tight surveillance, he has no way to escape.
  • ，插翅难飞。
    Dí rén yǐ jīng bèi kùn zài shān gǔ zhōng, chā chì nán fēi.
    The enemy is trapped in the valley and cannot escape.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

插翅
插chāinsert翅chìwing
动宾Verb + object
难飞
难nándifficult飞fēifly
偏正Modifier + head

插翅 shows wings being inserted, and 难飞 says even then flying away is difficult.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 插 →

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
羽羽yǔfeathers
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī翅chì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

翅 uses 羽, meaning feathers, for the meaning and 支 for the sound. The 羽 part shows the character is about a wing or fin shape.

Open 翅 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飛; 飞 is its simplified writing.

For 飞, the traditional form 飛 pictures a bird flying upwards.

Open 飞 →

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