飄 (piāo) - To float & to drift

飄Tone 1

piāo ｜ 20 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

飄 · piāo

To float;

to drift;

to flutter;

to be blown about by the wind;

to wander;

to roam.

To floatto driftto flutter

Usage highlights

To float and driftTo flutter and danceTo drift with the windTo drift awaySnow driftingFragrance wafting

Synonyms

  • 浮— to float; to be buoyant
  • 飞— to fly
  • 扬— to rise; to flutter

Antonyms

  • 沉— to sink; to submerge
  • 落— to fall; to descend
  • 定— to settle; to fix

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The leaves are floating in the wind (树叶在风中飘).
  • Snowflakes drifted down (雪花飘落).
  • Her long hair fluttered in the breeze (她的长发随风飘动).
  • The kite is flying high in the sky (风筝在空中飘荡).
  • A faint fragrance wafted over (一阵清香飘来).

Collocations

  • To float and drift(飘浮)
  • To flutter and dance(飘舞)
  • To drift with the wind(随风飘)
  • To drift away(飘走)
  • Snow drifting(飘雪)
  • Fragrance wafting(飘香)

Idioms

  • Floating and rootless(飘萍浪迹)
  • Drifting aimlessly(飘零四方)
  • Floating clouds and flowing water(行云流水)
  • Roaming the world(飘洋过海)
  • Floating and sinking uncertainly(飘沉不定)
  • Floating like a duckweed(飘如转蓬)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often used in poetry and literature to describe a sense of freedom, detachment, or rootlessness.
  • Associated with natural phenomena like falling leaves, snow, or petals moving with the wind.
  • Can convey both positive (freedom, elegance) and negative (instability, loneliness) connotations depending on context.
  • Frequently appears in classical Chinese poetry to evoke transient beauty and the passage of time.

FAQ