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一鸣惊人 (yī míng jīng rén) — to become famous overnight; to make a spectacular debut; to achieve instant fame

Definition

A chengyu for a sudden, striking success after a long quiet period — literally 'one cry (of a bird) astonishes people'. Used for a debut or single performance that brings overnight fame.

idiom
to become famous overnightto make a spectacular debutto achieve instant fame

Examples

  • 一鸣惊人，。
    Zhè wèi nián qīng yǎn yuán píng jiè yí bù diàn yǐng yī míng jīng rén, lì kè chéng le quán guó míng rén.
    This young actor became famous overnight with one movie and immediately became a national celebrity.
  • ，一鸣惊人，。
    Shuí yě méi xiǎng dào, tā chū cì cān jiā guó jì bǐ sài jiù yī míng jīng rén, ná le jīn pái.
    No one expected that he would make a stunning debut at his first international competition and win a gold medal.
  • 一鸣惊人，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī tuī chū xīn chǎn pǐn hòu yī míng jīng rén, dìng dān cóng shì jiè gè dì yǒng lái.
    After launching its new product, the company achieved instant fame, with orders pouring in from all over the world.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳴; 鸣 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳴 combines 口 (mouth) and 鳥 (bird) to show a bird crying.

Open 鸣 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng惊jīng
Same sound today

惊 is made from 忄 (heart) and 京, which gives the sound.

Open 惊 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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