飞翔 (fēi xiáng) — to soar, to fly high in the sky

Definition

A literary, vivid verb for soaring or flying high, often with a sense of freedom (birds, kites, imagination). Stronger and more poetic than 飞跃, which emphasizes a leap or rapid progress; not the circling motion of 盘旋.

verb
to soarto fly high in the sky

Examples

  • 飞翔。
    Lǎo yīng zài tiān kōng zhōng zì yóu dì fēi xiáng.
    Eagles soar freely in the sky.
  • 飞翔。
    Tā mèng xiǎng xiàng niǎo r yí yàng fēi xiáng zài guǎng kuò de lán tiān.
    He dreams of soaring like a bird in the vast blue sky.
  • 飞翔。
    Fēng zheng suí zhe fēng fēi xiáng dé yuè lái yuè gāo.
    The kite soars higher and higher with the wind.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

飞 and 翔 both describe flying or gliding, together meaning soar.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
羊
羊yáng翔xiáng
Same sound today

翔 pairs 羽 (feathers) with 羊, which gives the sound. The feathers part connects to soaring.

Open 翔 →

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