蜚 (fēi) - Flying insect & cockroach

蜚Tone 1

fēi ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

恩丰

蜚 · fēi

Flying insect;

cockroach;

also used in classical Chinese to mean 'to fly' or 'to flutter'.

Flying insectcockroachalso used in classical Chinese to mean 'to

Usage highlights

CockroachRumor or gossipFlying lightlyFeiliaoTo achieve fameFeilian

Synonyms

  • 飞— to fly (more common modern character for flying)
  • 蟑— cockroach (short for 蟑螂)

Antonyms

  • 爬— to crawl

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The cockroach (蜚蠊) scurried across the floor.
  • In ancient texts, it could mean to fly lightly (蜚蜚).
  • There is a mythical beast called the Feiliao (蜚廉).
  • The term 'feiyu' (蜚语) means rumor or gossip.

Collocations

  • Cockroach(蜚蠊)
  • Rumor or gossip(蜚语)
  • Flying lightly(蜚蜚)
  • Feiliao (mythical beast)(蜚廉)
  • To achieve fame(蜚声)
  • Feilian (wind god)(飞廉, sometimes written as 蜚廉)

Idioms

  • To achieve renown(蜚声中外)
  • Malicious gossip(流言蜚语)
  • Flying and running(蜚英腾茂)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese mythology, 'Feilian' (蜚廉) was a wind god or a mythical beast.
  • The character is often used in classical texts with the meaning 'to fly', though this usage is now rare.
  • In modern Chinese, it is most commonly seen in the word for 'cockroach' (蜚蠊) and in the idiom for 'rumor' (流言蜚语).

FAQ