<p>飞机 is specifically for airplane</p>

<p>飞行器 is for general aircraft</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T15:39:15.883Z
Yeah, airplane (飞机) is a kind of aircraft (飞行器), helicopter (直升机) is also aircraft.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T14:12:07.837Z
2019-03-28T14:12:07.837Z
Doubble22
<p>In English, it has a diiferent words for variety of flying machines. In Chinese, we only use 飞机 as a general term. For example, 直升飞机(直升机), 航天飞机(spacecraft). Airplane is a type of aircraft. Aircraft could be some other machines other than airplane. So, depending on what you are really talking about, aircraft could be interpreted as 飞机(airplane), 飞行器，热气球(hot air balloons) and etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-29T23:02:53.717Z
2019-03-29T23:02:53.717Z
dan
<p>飞机 / 飛機 literally means “flying machine”, which is a really <strong>inaccurate</strong> colloquial term. It can mean an airplane in its narrow sense, and it can also mean an aircraft in its broader sense, and some people even use this word for a space shuttle! Never use this term if you want to describe accurately.</p>

<p>Some well-educated people believe that the broader sense is "wrong", but who cares? All the native Chinese speakers accept the broader sense <strong>except some pedants</strong>. You can see many pedants on Stack Exchange, but this is not the real world. <a href="https://www.zhihu.com/question/27278560/answer/35987002" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Welcome to the real world</a>.</p>

<p>If you want to refer to an aircraft, use the term 航空器.</p>

<p>If you want to refer to an airplane, use the term 定翼机 / 定翼機.</p>

<p>If you want to refer to rotorcrafts, use the term 旋翼机 / 旋翼機, which include helicopters, or 直升机 / 直升機 in Chinese.</p>

<p>If you want to refer to a ornithopter, use the term 扑翼机 / 撲翼機.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-30T17:31:18.513Z
This is pretty far away from the reality. 飞机 is actually airplane only, excluding everything like rotorcraft and bloons. 旋翼机 is Autogyro only, not including helicopters.
user3528438
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-30T19:02:06.133Z
@user3528438   A helicopter is sometimes called 直升飞机, even though some people think it is incorrect. Then so what? Scientists may argue that it is a "wrong" name, but most people accept this name.
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-30T19:02:37.740Z
@user3528438 A space shuttle is called 航天飞机.
Victor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T19:26:50.493Z
2019-03-31T16:20:16.510Z
2019-03-31T16:20:16.510Z
Victor
<p>飛機 - <em>Aeroplane</em>, short for 固定翼飛機 (<em>fixed-wing flying machine</em>)</p>

<p>航空器 - <em>aircraft</em></p>

<p>飛行器 - both <em>aircraft</em> and <em>spacecraft</em>, i.e. <em>all flying machines which travel through the atmosphere</em>. Includes space rockets.</p>

<p>For reference, <em>spacecraft</em> is 航天器.</p>

<hr>

<p>Answering the queries directly,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Does 飛機 mean "airplane"? If no, what is "airplane" in Chinese?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Yes, 飛機 means <em>airplane/aeroplane</em>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Does 飛機 mean "aircraft"? If no, what is "aircraft" in Chinese?</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>Aircraft</em> is 航空器.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>When someone says 飛機, do they mean "airplane", or do they mean "aircraft"?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>They should mean <em>aeroplane</em>. If they mean <em>aircraft</em>, well, that's improper use of the language.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T14:14:16.303Z
2019-03-28T14:24:45.350Z
2019-03-28T14:24:45.350Z
dROOOze
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Airplanes</a> are a type of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft" rel="nofollow noreferrer">aircraft</a> (helicopters [直升機], hot air balloons [熱氣球] are also aircraft).</p>

<p>飛機 is a very common Chinese word, but what does it mean? </p>

<ol>
<li>Does 飛機 mean "airplane"? If no, what is "airplane" in Chinese?</li>
<li>Does 飛機 mean "aircraft"? If no, what is "aircraft" in Chinese?</li>
<li>When someone says 飛機, do they mean "airplane", or do they mean "aircraft"?</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T15:45:29.780Z
Yeah, an **airplane** (飛機/飞机) is a kind of **aircraft** (飛行器/飞行器) while a **helicopter** (直升機/直升机) is also a kind of **aircraft**. If you are familiar with Chinese language, you may know that actually 飛機/飞机 and 飛行器/飞行器 are synonyms, but 飛機/飞机 always refer to **airplane** while 飛行器/飞行器 refer to **aircraft**.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-28T16:12:56.003Z
@賈可Jacky How can 飛機 and 飛行器 be synonyms when they, as you claim, refer to airplane and aircraft respectively?
Flux
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-29T02:29:50.007Z
@Flux I mean in terms of Chinese word formation rules, the two words are almost the same, for 飛 is a short form of 飛行/飞行 while 機/机 and 器 are also synonyms, while the actual meanings are different. There is no ambiguity anymore.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-30T17:33:53.187Z
This is more like a aviation question than language question. Even here at the aviation stackexchange, aircraft is usually used to refer to "fixed wing powered manned aircraft".
user3528438
<difference><meaning>
Does 飛機 mean "airplane" or "aircraft"?
# Does 飛機 mean "airplane" or "aircraft"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-28)

[Airplanes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane) are a type of [aircraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft) (helicopters [直升機], hot air balloons [熱氣球] are also aircraft).

飛機 is a very common Chinese word, but what does it mean?

1. Does 飛機 mean "airplane"? If no, what is "airplane" in Chinese?
2. Does 飛機 mean "aircraft"? If no, what is "aircraft" in Chinese?
3. When someone says 飛機, do they mean "airplane", or do they mean "aircraft"?

**Tags:** difference, meaning
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yeah, an **airplane** (飛機/飞机) is a kind of **aircraft** (飛行器/飞行器) while a **helicopter** (直升機/直升机) is also a kind of **aircraft**. If you are familiar with Chinese language, you may know that actually 飛機/飞机 and 飛行器/飞行器 are synonyms, but 飛機/飞机 always refer to **airplane** while 飛行器/飞行器 refer to **aircraft**.  
> **username_0**: @賈可Jacky How can 飛機 and 飛行器 be synonyms when they, as you claim, refer to airplane and aircraft respectively?  
> **username_1**: @Flux I mean in terms of Chinese word formation rules, the two words are almost the same, for 飛 is a short form of 飛行/飞行 while 機/机 and 器 are also synonyms, while the actual meanings are different. There is no ambiguity anymore.  
> **username_2**: This is more like a aviation question than language question. Even here at the aviation stackexchange, aircraft is usually used to refer to "fixed wing powered manned aircraft".  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2019-03-28. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

飛機 - *Aeroplane*, short for 固定翼飛機 (*fixed-wing flying machine*)

航空器 - *aircraft*

飛行器 - both *aircraft* and *spacecraft*, i.e. *all flying machines which travel through the atmosphere*. Includes space rockets.

For reference, *spacecraft* is 航天器.

---

Answering the queries directly,

> Does 飛機 mean "airplane"? If no, what is "airplane" in Chinese?

Yes, 飛機 means *airplane/aeroplane*.

> Does 飛機 mean "aircraft"? If no, what is "aircraft" in Chinese?

*Aircraft* is 航空器.

> When someone says 飛機, do they mean "airplane", or do they mean "aircraft"?

They should mean *aeroplane*. If they mean *aircraft*, well, that's improper use of the language.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-03-28. Score: 3

飞机 is specifically for airplane

飞行器 is for general aircraft

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yeah, airplane (飞机) is a kind of aircraft (飞行器), helicopter (直升机) is also aircraft.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-03-29. Score: 1

In English, it has a diiferent words for variety of flying machines. In Chinese, we only use 飞机 as a general term. For example, 直升飞机(直升机), 航天飞机(spacecraft). Airplane is a type of aircraft. Aircraft could be some other machines other than airplane. So, depending on what you are really talking about, aircraft could be interpreted as 飞机(airplane), 飞行器，热气球(hot air balloons) and etc.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-03-28. Score: 0

飞机 / 飛機 literally means “flying machine”, which is a really **inaccurate** colloquial term. It can mean an airplane in its narrow sense, and it can also mean an aircraft in its broader sense, and some people even use this word for a space shuttle! Never use this term if you want to describe accurately.

Some well-educated people believe that the broader sense is "wrong", but who cares? All the native Chinese speakers accept the broader sense **except some pedants**. You can see many pedants on Stack Exchange, but this is not the real world. [Welcome to the real world](https://www.zhihu.com/question/27278560/answer/35987002).

If you want to refer to an aircraft, use the term 航空器.

If you want to refer to an airplane, use the term 定翼机 / 定翼機.

If you want to refer to rotorcrafts, use the term 旋翼机 / 旋翼機, which include helicopters, or 直升机 / 直升機 in Chinese.

If you want to refer to a ornithopter, use the term 扑翼机 / 撲翼機.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: This is pretty far away from the reality. 飞机 is actually airplane only, excluding everything like rotorcraft and bloons. 旋翼机 is Autogyro only, not including helicopters.  
> **username_5**: @user3528438   A helicopter is sometimes called 直升飞机, even though some people think it is incorrect. Then so what? Scientists may argue that it is a "wrong" name, but most people accept this name.  
> **username_5**: @user3528438 A space shuttle is called 航天飞机.  

---

