无翼而飞

wú yì ér fēi

  • Meaning

    Literal

    To fly despite not having wings

    Usage

    To spread like wildfire; to vanish without a trace

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    None | -
    -
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    不翼而飞 (bù yì ér fēi)

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《管子》(Guǎn Zǐ), a classical book containing writings of the famous Spring and Autumn period politician 管仲 (Guǎn Zhòng, ? - 645 BC)

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]