一步登天 (yī bù dēng tiān) — to have a meteoric rise; to achieve success overnight (often implying it is unrealistic or too fast)

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to leap to the top in one step' — used to describe someone hoping for an unrealistic, overnight leap to success. Often carries a critical tone (e.g., '总想一步登天' = 'always dreaming of getting rich quick').

idiom
to have a meteoric riseto achieve success overnight (often implying it is unrealistic or too fast)

Examples

  • ，一步登天。
    Tā bù xiǎng nǔ lì gōng zuò, zǒng xiǎng yī bù dēng tiān.
    He doesn't want to work hard; he always wants to achieve success overnight.
  • ，一步登天。
    Xué xí méi yǒu jié jìng, bù kě néng yī bù dēng tiān.
    There are no shortcuts in learning; you can't achieve success overnight.
  • 一步登天，。
    Tā de chéng gōng bú shì yī bù dēng tiān, ér shì duō nián nǔ lì de jié guǒ.
    His success wasn't a meteoric rise; it was the result of many years of hard work.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

步 uses two 止 (foot) forms, one reversed, to show one foot stepping in front of the other.

Open 步 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 癶癶bōleft and right feet
  • 豆豆dòupictogrammic of raised object; stepping stone

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.

Open 登 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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