飞行
fēixíng · HSK 3
fly
✈️ 飞 (fly) + 行 (go/travel) = flying travel, i.e. flight/aviation
飞行 is a compound: 飞 means fly and 行 means go or travel. Together they mean flight or aviation — the act of traveling by flying. Common in 飞行员 (pilot, literally flying-travel-person).
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.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.