Definition
漂浮 (piāofú) means 'to float/drift' on water or in air, and figuratively 'to drift aimlessly' or 'to be superficial and unreliable'. Unlike single-character 浮 (fú) and 漂 (piāo), which focus on physical floating/drifting, 漂浮 also carries the figurative sense of superficiality (similar to the adjective 肤浅 fūqiǎn). Compared to 漂流 (piāoliú, drifting on water or in life) and 漂泊 (piāobó, wandering), 漂浮 emphasizes a lack of direction or depth.
verb
to floatto drift (on water or in air)(figurative) to drift aimlesslyto be superficial and unreliable
Easily confused
- 飘浮piāo fúsound-aliketo float or hover (in the air or on water)
Examples
- 漂浮。Xiǎo chuán zài húmiàn shàng qīngqīng piāo fú.The small boat gently floats on the lake surface.
- 漂浮，。Tā bìyè hòu yìzhí piāo fú, méiyǒu zhǎodào fāngxiàng.After graduation, he has been drifting without finding a direction.
- 漂浮，。Zhège rén de zuòfēng tài piāo fú, dàjiā dōu bú xìnrèn tā.This person's style is too superficial; everyone distrusts him.
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