How to Write 翩 (piān) — Meaning “fly lightly; flutter”

Picture a graceful bird with flat, wide wings (扁) flapping its feathers (羽) as it flutters lightly through the air. The image of a flat-winged bird dancing helps link the shape to the meaning of elegant flight.

Pay attention to the left side: the radical 羽 must be narrower than the right side 扁, and the two parts should sit closely together. The right side 扁 has a horizontal stroke on top, then a wide 口, and finally a long vertical stroke; common mistakes include making the left side too wide or the right side too tall.

翟 (dí, long-tailed pheasant) uses 羽 on top and 隹 (bird) below, while 翠 (cuì, kingfisher or green) combines 羽 with 卒 (soldier). 翩 focuses on flight motion and elegance, not on bird species or color, making it more about the action of fluttering than about a specific bird.

翩 appears in literary and descriptive contexts, especially in the phrase 翩翩起舞 (piān piān qǐ wǔ), meaning to dance gracefully and lightly. It is often used in poetry or elegant descriptions of dancing, butterflies, or falling leaves, evoking a sense of beauty and refinement.

Common words containing 翩 include: 翩翩起舞 (piān piān qǐ wǔ) — dance lightly and gracefully; 翩翩 (piān piān) — lightly; elegantly; gracefully; 翩然 (piān rán) — lightly; trippingly.