不翼而飛

Chinese
not; no wing
 
and; as well as; but (not)
and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)
 to fly
trad. (不翼而飛) 不 翼 而 飛
simp. (不翼而飞) 不 翼 而 飞
Literally: “to be wingless and yet flying or airborne”.

Etymology

Chapter 26 of Guanzi:

無翼而飛者，聲也；無根而固者，情也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
无翼而飞者，声也；无根而固者，情也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Guanzi, 5th century BCE to 220 CE
Wú yì ér fēi zhě, shēng yě; wú gēn ér gù zhě, qíng yě. [Pinyin]
Sound flies without wings; feelings are firm without roots.

Pronunciation

Idiom

不翼而飛

  1. (of news) to spread quickly; to spread like wildfire; to spread fast as if on wings
  2. (of an object) to disappear suddenly; to disappear without a trace; to vanish into thin air
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