fēi

Origin & Mnemonic:

To soar upward through the air like a bird with outspread wings. To fly, travel by air, or move swiftly. A bird silhouette with two slanting wing strokes and a central body lifting into the sky.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 飞机 (fēijī) — airplane
  • 飞走 (fēizǒu) — to fly away
  • 飞鸟 (fēiniǎo) — flying bird
  • 起飞 (qǐfēi) — to take off (of an aircraft)
  • 飞人 飞行员

    飞人 is not a standard everyday word for a person who flies; use 飞行员 for pilot.

  • 飞车 飞机

    飞车 is not a common word for airplane; use 飞机 for airplane.

When should I use 飞 alone and when should I add 了?

Use 飞 alone for general statements or ongoing actions; add 了 to indicate completion or change of state.

飞 is a verb meaning 'to fly'. Without 了, it describes a general action or a habit. With 了, it indicates that the action is completed or that a new situation has arisen. For example, 鸟飞 means 'birds fly' (general), while 鸟飞了 means 'the bird flew away' (completed action).

DimensionNaturalAvoid
General statement鸟会飞。 (Birds can fly.)鸟会飞了。 (implies a change, not general ability)
Completed action鸟飞了。 (The bird flew away.)鸟飞。 (incomplete, sounds odd for a specific event)

What is the difference between 飞 and 非?

飞 (fēi) means 'to fly'; 非 (fēi) means 'not' or 'wrong'. They sound the same but are different characters.

飞 and 非 are homophones but have completely different meanings and uses. 飞 is a verb for flying, while 非 is a prefix or adjective meaning 'not' or 'non-'. For example, 飞机 (airplane) uses 飞, while 非常 (very) uses 非. They are not interchangeable.

Dimension
Meaningto flynot, wrong
Example飞机 (airplane)非常 (very)
Part of speechverbadverb/adjective

Appears in Stories 3 stories

《去上海》 Train or Plane to Shanghai
HSK 2 ~2 min read 151 chars
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Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.

  • 北京上海 飞机 火车

  • 北京上海 飞机 不到小时但是火车就要最少五个多小时

  • 火车 飞机 便宜 飞机场 很多时间所以小商觉得火车 飞机

《大飞机》 The Big Airplane
HSK 1 ~2 min read 97 chars
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Read about a work trip to Beijing where a group of colleagues takes a very large airplane. Practice weather words and actions in a simple travel story.

  • 我们坐的 飞机 很大五百 飞机

  • 我们 飞机 时候白天但是天气一点儿

《电脑没脑子》 Computers Have No Brains
HSK 1 ~1 min read 76 chars
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This playful poem will make you smile as you explore how Chinese words like 'computer' and 'phone' can be funnier than they seem. Get ready to enjoy simple HSK 1 vocabulary and a twist of logic!

  • 手机手中 飞机

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