noun HSK 2
Traditional 飛機
fēi
airplane · aircraft · plane

Meaning

飞机 refers to any aircraft that flies through the air, from small planes to large commercial jets. It's one of the most basic transportation vocabulary words in Mandarin and is used in everyday conversation when discussing travel, transportation, or aviation.

Usage

This is a neutral, common word used in all registers of speech. Native speakers use it when talking about air travel, booking flights, or discussing transportation options. It's often used with verbs like 坐 (to take/ride), 开 (to fly/pilot), or 赶 (to catch).

Examples

  1. 01
    我明天要坐飞机去北京。
    míng tiān yào zuò fēi Běi jīng.
    I'm taking a plane to Beijing tomorrow.
  2. 02
    飞机场离市中心很远。
    Fēi chǎng shì zhōng xīn hěn yuǎn.
    The airport is very far from the city center.

Characters

Measure words

  • jià一架飞机
  • tàng一趟飞机

Common collocations

  • 飞机
    zuò fēi
    to take a plane
  • 飞机
    gǎn fēi
    to catch a flight
  • 飞机
    fēi piào
    plane ticket
  • 飞机
    xià fēi
    to get off the plane

Origin

Literally means 'flying machine.' This is a modern compound word created in the early 20th century when airplanes were introduced to China, combining the verb 飞 (to fly) with 机 (machine/apparatus).

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