翩

piān

扁 + 羽

Definitions

piān (verb) to flutter; to fly swiftly

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 羽 represents the meaning and 扁 represents the sound.

Semantic: 羽 Phonetic: 扁

About

翩 is a phono-semantic compound: 羽, meaning feathers or wings, points to an association with birds or flight, while 扁 (biǎn) indicates the sound. The character originally denoted the swift, fluttering flight of birds, particularly their graceful, undulating movement through the air. Over time, the meaning broadened to describe any light, fluttering, or elegant motion, such as leaves fluttering in the wind, a dancer's flowing garments, or a person's graceful demeanor. The reduplicated form 翩翩 often appears in compound words to emphasize rhythmic elegance.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

蝴蝶翩翩起舞。

Húdié piān piān qǐ wǔ.

Butterflies dance gracefully.

落叶翩然落下。

Luòyè piān rán luò xià.

Leaves fall lightly.

她翩翩地走进房间。

Tā piān piān de zǒu jìn fáng jiān.

She walked into the room gracefully.

雪花翩然降落在窗台上。

Xuěhuā piān rán jiàng luò zài chuāng tái shàng.

Snowflakes lightly fall on the windowsill.

他在音乐中翩翩旋转。

Tā zài yīn yuè zhōng piān piān xuán zhuǎn.

He spun gracefully in the music.

那些鸽子在空中翩翩翱翔。

Nà xiē gē zi zài kōng zhōng piān piān áo xiáng.

Those pigeons soar gracefully in the sky.

她以翩翩的姿态通过了舞台。

Tā yǐ piān piān de zī tài tōng guò le wǔ tái.

She passed through the stage with a graceful posture.

在夕阳下，海鸥翩翩飞舞的景象很美。

Zài xī yáng xià, hǎi ōu piān piān fēi wǔ de jǐng xiàng hěn měi.

Under the sunset, the scene of seagulls fluttering gracefully is beautiful.

Related Characters

Component: 扁

Component: 羽

翩