fēijī: 飞机 - Airplane, Plane

• Keywords: fēijī, feiji, 飞机, airplane in Chinese, plane in Chinese, how to say airplane in Mandarin, taking a plane in China, fly a plane Chinese, Chinese for travel, 坐飞机, 开飞机, HSK 1 vocabulary.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word for “airplane,” 飞机 (fēijī). This guide breaks down the simple logic behind the characters 飞 (to fly) and 机 (machine), making it easy to remember. Discover how to use it correctly for travel in China, understand its cultural significance as a symbol of modern development, and avoid common mistakes and embarrassing slang. Perfect for beginners and anyone traveling to China.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): fēijī
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: 1
• Concise Definition: A powered flying vehicle with wings; an airplane or plane.
• In a Nutshell: 飞机 (fēijī) is the standard, everyday word for “airplane” in Mandarin Chinese. It's a very literal and logical compound word, making it one of the first nouns beginners learn, especially for topics related to travel. If you want to talk about getting on a plane, booking a flight, or seeing one in the sky, this is the word you'll use.

• 飞 (fēi): This character means “to fly.” You can imagine it as a simple pictogram of a bird soaring with its wings outstretched. It's the core concept of flight.
• 机 (jī): This character means “machine” or “engine.” It originally referred to a complex mechanism like a loom, but now it's used in countless words for modern technology, like 手机 (shǒujī, mobile phone) and 电脑机 (diànnǎojī, computer).

Putting them together, 飞 (fēi) + 机 (jī) literally means “fly machine,” a perfectly logical and descriptive name for an airplane. This transparent structure is common in Chinese and makes many modern words easy to decipher.

While “airplane” is a universal modern concept, 飞机 (fēijī) holds a special place in the context of modern China's rapid development.

• Symbol of Modernization and National Pride: For decades, widespread air travel was a luxury. Today, China is home to some of the world's largest and most modern airports (like Beijing Daxing and Shanghai Pudong). The growth of its domestic airlines and aviation infrastructure is a major source of national pride and a tangible symbol of the country's economic success.
• Connecting a Vast Nation: China is geographically immense. The 飞机 (fēijī) is essential for connecting the developed eastern coast with the far-flung western regions like Xinjiang and Tibet. It makes the concept of a single, unified country a practical reality for business and personal travel.
• Comparison to Western Travel (Planes vs. High-Speed Rail): In the United States, flying is often the default choice for any travel over 5-6 hours of driving. In China, the 飞机 has a major competitor: the 高铁 (gāotiě), or high-speed rail network. For many key routes, like Beijing to Shanghai, the high-speed train is often preferred due to its convenience (city center to city center), punctuality, and competitive travel time. Therefore, the decision to take a 飞机 is often a practical choice weighed against the train, a calculation less common for similar distances in the U.S.

飞机 (fēijī) is a fundamental noun used in any context involving air travel.

• In Conversation: You'll use it when discussing vacation plans, business trips, or visiting family. For example: “Are you taking a plane or the train?” (你是坐飞机还是坐火车？).
• At the Airport: All airport signage and announcements will use 飞机. You'll talk about your 飞机 being on time (准时 zhǔnshí) or delayed (晚点 wǎndiǎn).
• Booking Travel: When you buy a ticket, you're buying a 飞机票 (fēijī piào), or “plane ticket.”

The formality is neutral. It's used in formal announcements and casual chats alike. The key to using it correctly is pairing it with the right verb (see “Nuances and Common Mistakes” below).

• Example 1:
• 天上有一架大飞机。
• Pinyin: Tiānshang yǒu yí jià dà fēijī.
• English: There is a big airplane in the sky.
• Analysis: A simple sentence demonstrating the noun. Note the use of the measure word 架 (jià) for airplanes and other large machines.
• Example 2:
• 我明天要坐飞机去北京。
• Pinyin: Wǒ míngtiān yào zuò fēijī qù Běijīng.
• English: I'm taking a plane to Beijing tomorrow.
• Analysis: This shows the most common verb used with 飞机 for passengers: 坐 (zuò), which means “to sit” or “to take” a form of transport.
• Example 3:
• 他的梦想是开飞机。
• Pinyin: Tā de mèngxiǎng shì kāi fēijī.
• English: His dream is to fly a plane.
• Analysis: This uses the verb 开 (kāi), which means “to drive” or “to operate.” This is used specifically for the person piloting the plane.
• Example 4:
• 我们的飞机晚点了三个小时。
• Pinyin: Wǒmen de fēijī wǎndiǎn le sān ge xiǎoshí.
• English: Our plane was delayed by three hours.
• Analysis: A very common and practical sentence you might use at an airport.
• Example 5:
• 你好，我想订一张去上海的飞机票。
• Pinyin: Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng dìng yì zhāng qù Shànghǎi de fēijīpiào.
• English: Hello, I'd like to book a plane ticket to Shanghai.
• Analysis: Shows the compound noun 飞机票 (fēijīpiào), “plane ticket.”
• Example 6:
• 飞机什么时候起飞？
• Pinyin: Fēijī shénme shíhou qǐfēi?
• English: When does the plane take off?
• Analysis: This sentence uses the specific verb 起飞 (qǐfēi), “to take off.”
• Example 7:
• 这是我第一次坐飞机，我有点儿紧张。
• Pinyin: Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì zuò fēijī, wǒ yǒudiǎnr jǐnzhāng.
• English: This is my first time taking a plane, I'm a little nervous.
• Analysis: A great conversational sentence that expresses a common feeling about air travel.
• Example 8:
• 从纽约到洛杉矶，坐飞机要六个小时。
• Pinyin: Cóng Niǔyuē dào Luòshānjī, zuò fēijī yào liù ge xiǎoshí.
• English: It takes six hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles.
• Analysis: Demonstrates how to express the duration of a flight.
• Example 9:
• 这架飞机的型号是什么？
• Pinyin: Zhè jià fēijī de xínghào shì shénme?
• English: What is the model of this airplane?
• Analysis: A more technical question, but still using the basic noun. It again uses the measure word 架 (jià).
• Example 10:
• 他居然放我飞机！我等了他一个小时。
• Pinyin: Tā jūrán fàng wǒ fēijī! Wǒ děng le tā yí ge xiǎoshí.
• English: He actually stood me up! I waited for him for an hour.
• Analysis: Important: This is an informal, regional slang usage, originating from Cantonese. 放飞机 (fàng fēijī), literally “to release a plane,” means “to stand someone up.” The more standard Mandarin equivalent is 放鸽子 (fàng gēzi), “to release a pigeon.” Use this with care among friends.

• The Biggest Mistake: Passenger vs. Pilot. English speakers often say “I'm flying to Beijing,” using the verb “to fly.” A direct translation might lead to a mistake.
  • Correct (Passenger): 坐飞机 (zuò fēijī) - “to RIDE/TAKE a plane.” (我坐飞机去北京。)
  • Incorrect: 我飞北京 (Wǒ fēi Běijīng) - This sounds like you are a bird or Superman.
  • Correct (Pilot): 开飞机 (kāi fēijī) - “to DRIVE/PILOT a plane.” (他是飞行员，他开飞机。)
• CRITICAL SLANG WARNING: “打飞机 (dǎ fēijī)”.
  • The phrase 打飞机 (dǎ fēijī), which literally means “to hit a plane,” is common and explicit slang for male masturbation.
  • NEVER use this phrase unless you are intentionally making a crude joke. A beginner might mistakenly think it means “to board a plane” or “to catch a plane,” which could lead to extreme embarrassment. There is no non-slang meaning for this phrase in modern Mandarin.
• Slang for Being Stood Up: 放飞机 (fàng fēijī).
  • As mentioned in Example 10, this means “to stand someone up.” While its usage is spreading, it's still considered informal and somewhat regional. The standard, universally understood term is 放鸽子 (fàng gēzi). Stick with 放鸽子 to be safe.

• 机场 (jīchǎng) - Airport. Literally “machine field.”
• 飞机票 (fēijī piào) - Plane ticket.
• 航班 (hángbān) - Scheduled flight / Flight number. A more formal term for your specific flight (e.g., “Flight CA981”).
• 航空公司 (hángkōng gōngsī) - Airline. Literally “aviation company.”
• 起飞 (qǐfēi) - To take off (verb). The opposite of this is 降落 (jiàngluò), to land.
• 坐 (zuò) - To sit; to take/ride. The essential verb for passengers of planes, trains, cars, and buses.
• 开 (kāi) - To drive; to operate. The essential verb for pilots or drivers.
• 直升机 (zhíshēngjī) - Helicopter. A great example of logical construction: “straight-rise-machine.”
• 高铁 (gāotiě) - High-speed rail. The main transportation alternative to planes for domestic travel in China.
• 登机 (dēngjī) - To board a plane. You do this at the 登机口 (dēngjīkǒu), the boarding gate.