<p>It means something disappeared as if it had flown away, and that something probably doesn't have wings.</p>

<p>It originally means words because words spread across the world without wings. Now it just means something disappearing into thin air.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T14:42:26.880Z
similar term is 不逕而走 ( run away without legs) 「不脛而走」是指不用腿也能走；比喻事物不用推廣，也能迅速傳播的意思
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T13:35:16.450Z
2016-10-06T13:35:16.450Z
Jacky
<p>I don't study language, here is what I think:</p>

<p>Idioms, or rather, Classical Chinese is grammatically much different than Modern Chinese. Back then, you can have a greater freedom on how you write and words with similar meanings can be used alternatively but in Modern Chinese, we tend to centralize meanings of characters more and use less of the other meanings.</p>

<p>This is the definition of 不: <a href="http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/1680.html" rel="nofollow">http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/1680.html</a></p>

<p>不<br>
bù<br>
副词。<br>
用在动词、形容词和其它词前面表示否定或加在名词或名词性语素前面，构成形容词：不去。不多。不法。不料。不材（才能平庸，常用作自谦）。不刊（无须修改，不可磨灭）。不学无术。不速之客。
单用，做否定性的回答：不，我不知道。<br>
用在句末表疑问：他现在身体好不？<br>
<strong>没有</strong></p>

<p>So, one meaning of <code>不</code> is <code>没有</code>, but it is not the most commonly used meaning of <code>不</code>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-07T08:08:17.660Z
2016-10-07T08:08:17.660Z
Daniel Cheung
<p>翼 = Wing
Yes, here, 不翼 = 无翼</p>

<p>It basically means something is gone in a weird way. For example, you could swear you left something at a certain place and you couldn't find it. You would use this phrase.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T19:14:01.390Z
2016-10-06T19:14:01.390Z
delingren
<p>不翼而飞
发音：bù yì ér fēi
释义：翼：翅膀。没有翅膀却飞走了。比喻物品忽然丢失。也比喻事情传播得很迅速。
出处：《管子·戒》：“无翼而飞者声也。”《战国策·秦策三》：“众口所移，毋翼而飞。”
示例：足足的一百六十块钱就那样便不翼而飞了。（郭沫若《革命春秋·创造十年》）
近义词：不胫而走 不知去向
反义词：原封不动</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T19:32:15.070Z
2016-10-06T19:32:15.070Z
Roy Yin
<p>飞 means fly. You leave footsteps if you run away, but you leave no trace if you fly away. It disappeared with no trace and you don't know the reason/how. </p>

<p>It's reasonable if it "has wings" (because there is no trace), but it doesn't have any, so the disappearance makes people wonder how did it happen. </p>

<p>It is an idiom so it doesn't have to be something actually has wings. For example, you can say your book 不翼而飞了。</p>

<p>I don't have enough points to comment yet but 不胫而走 is quite different.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T23:07:05.417Z
The meaning of 不胫而走 matches the original meaning of 不翼而飞, ( both mean "words spread far and wide easily )  but not the contemporary usage of " something mysteriously disappear" . Nowadays, only 不胫而走 obtains the original meaning
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-06T20:35:11.973Z
2016-10-06T21:19:04.953Z
2016-10-06T21:19:04.953Z
EXL
<p>The Chinese idiom " 不翼而飞" contains the character 翼 meaning wings, but how could one fly without wings?</p>

<p>Here 不翼 = 无翼 ？ I'm confused.</p>

<p>I am aware of the fact that the saying means "vanish into the air or disappear without trace".</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<meaning><characters><meaning-in-context><idioms>
Meaning of 翼 in 不翼而飞
# Meaning of 翼 in 不翼而飞

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-06)

The Chinese idiom " 不翼而飞" contains the character 翼 meaning wings, but how could one fly without wings?

Here 不翼 = 无翼 ？ I'm confused.

I am aware of the fact that the saying means "vanish into the air or disappear without trace".

Thanks.

**Tags:** meaning, characters, meaning-in-context, idioms

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2016-10-06. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

飞 means fly. You leave footsteps if you run away, but you leave no trace if you fly away. It disappeared with no trace and you don't know the reason/how.

It's reasonable if it "has wings" (because there is no trace), but it doesn't have any, so the disappearance makes people wonder how did it happen.

It is an idiom so it doesn't have to be something actually has wings. For example, you can say your book 不翼而飞了。

I don't have enough points to comment yet but 不胫而走 is quite different.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: The meaning of 不胫而走 matches the original meaning of 不翼而飞, ( both mean "words spread far and wide easily )  but not the contemporary usage of " something mysteriously disappear" . Nowadays, only 不胫而走 obtains the original meaning  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2016-10-06. Score: 5

It means something disappeared as if it had flown away, and that something probably doesn't have wings.

It originally means words because words spread across the world without wings. Now it just means something disappearing into thin air.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: similar term is 不逕而走 ( run away without legs) 「不脛而走」是指不用腿也能走；比喻事物不用推廣，也能迅速傳播的意思  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2016-10-07. Score: 2

I don't study language, here is what I think:

Idioms, or rather, Classical Chinese is grammatically much different than Modern Chinese. Back then, you can have a greater freedom on how you write and words with similar meanings can be used alternatively but in Modern Chinese, we tend to centralize meanings of characters more and use less of the other meanings.

This is the definition of 不: <http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/1680.html>

不  
bù  
副词。  
用在动词、形容词和其它词前面表示否定或加在名词或名词性语素前面，构成形容词：不去。不多。不法。不料。不材（才能平庸，常用作自谦）。不刊（无须修改，不可磨灭）。不学无术。不速之客。
单用，做否定性的回答：不，我不知道。  
用在句末表疑问：他现在身体好不？  
**没有**

So, one meaning of `不` is `没有`, but it is not the most commonly used meaning of `不`.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2016-10-06. Score: 1

翼 = Wing
Yes, here, 不翼 = 无翼

It basically means something is gone in a weird way. For example, you could swear you left something at a certain place and you couldn't find it. You would use this phrase.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2016-10-06. Score: 0

不翼而飞
发音：bù yì ér fēi
释义：翼：翅膀。没有翅膀却飞走了。比喻物品忽然丢失。也比喻事情传播得很迅速。
出处：《管子·戒》：“无翼而飞者声也。”《战国策·秦策三》：“众口所移，毋翼而飞。”
示例：足足的一百六十块钱就那样便不翼而飞了。（郭沫若《革命春秋·创造十年》）
近义词：不胫而走 不知去向
反义词：原封不动


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