"To Fly Without Wings" literally means "to fly away without wings." It comes from Liezi, Tangwen (The Questions of Tang), and originally referred to news, opinions, and the like spreading rapidly without the aid of wings, describing an extremely fast speed of transmission. Later, its meaning expanded and it also came to be commonly used to describe something suddenly disappearing, vanishing inexplicably, as if it had grown wings and flown away. This idiom has two typical usages: first, to describe the rapid spread of news, rumors, information, and so on, emphasizing how quickly it spreads and how widely it reaches; second, to describe the sudden and puzzling disappearance of objects, money, and the like, often carrying a tone of surprise, doubt, or helplessness. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the ancients' vivid metaphor for the phenomenon of information transmission and also reflects people's confusion when belongings are inexplicably lost. In use, it appears mostly in both spoken and written language, and can be commendatory (such as good news spreading quickly), neutral, or slightly derogatory (such as rumors spreading or things being lost).
📝 Example
1. The good news spread like wildfire—within half a day, the whole company knew about it. (Describing news spreading very quickly.)
2. I clearly put the keys on the table, so how did they vanish into thin air in the blink of an eye? (Describing something suddenly disappearing.)