劳燕分飞 in English lao2 yan4 fen1 fei1 Meaning

Meanings

  • the shrike and the swallow fly in different directions (idiomatic expression)
  • (usually of a couple) to part from each other

Simplified Characters

劳 燕 分 飞

Traditional Characters

勞 燕 分 飛

Pinyin

lao2 yan4 fen1 fei1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

劳lao2to toil 燕yan4Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in modern Hebei and Liaoning 分fen1to divide 飞fei1to fly