不翼而飞 bù yì ér fēi — to vanish without a trace; (of news) to spread like wildfire

不翼而飞
bù yì ér fēi

Characters: 不 · 翼 · 而 · 飞

Definitions

  1. to vanish without a trace; (of news) to spread like wildfire

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. to disappear without trace
  2. to vanish all of a sudden
  3. to spread fast
  4. to spread like wildfire

zdic(汉典)

  1. 形容传播或运行速度极快。
  2. 指物品突然消失不见。

ExtDict

  1. 翼：翅膀。没有翅膀却飞走了。比喻物品忽然丢失。也比喻事情传播得很迅速。

Examples

  • 刚放在桌上的钱包竟不翼而飞。

    The wallet I had just put on the table vanished into thin air.

  • 消息不翼而飞，不到半天就传遍了全城。

    The news spread like wildfire and swept through the city in half a day.