飞机
fēijī · HSK 1
airplane
✈️ 飞机 = 飞 fly + 机 machine
飞 means to fly; 机 means machine or device. Together they form the compound 'flying machine' — the standard Mandarin word for airplane. Same 机 appears in 手机 (hand-machine = phone) and 机器 (machine).
飞 — pictograph of a bird in flight (wings + body)
飞 is a pictograph originally depicting a bird soaring with outstretched wings, with the upper stroke suggesting the head and the curved strokes representing wings and tail. The traditional form 飛 shows the wings more clearly; 飞 is the simplified version retaining just one wing-like element. Its core meaning 'to fly' has stayed stable throughout history.
fēi jī · HSK 1
airplane
✈️ 飞机 = 飞 fly + 机 machine
飞 (fēi) means 'to fly' — the character originally depicted a bird in flight. 机 (jī) means 'machine' or 'device'. Together: a flying machine — an airplane.
飞 — pictograph of a bird in flight (wings + body)
飞 is a pictograph originally depicting a bird soaring with outstretched wings, with the upper stroke suggesting the head and the curved strokes representing wings and tail. The traditional form 飛 shows the wings more clearly; 飞 is the simplified version retaining just one wing-like element. Its core meaning 'to fly' has stayed stable throughout history.