立竿见影 (lì gān jiàn yǐng) — to produce instant results; to be effective right away

Definition

A chengyu meaning an action produces an immediate, visible result — 'see the shadow the moment the pole is raised.' Used for methods, remedies, or policies that work right away.

idiom
to produce instant resultsto be effective right away

Examples

  • 立竿见影，。
    Xīn yào de liáo xiào zhēn shì lì gān jiàn yǐng, bìng rén fú yòng hòu lì kè hǎo zhuǎn.
    The new medicine is really effective — the patient improved immediately after taking it.
  • 立竿见影，。
    Zhè ge yíng xiāo cè lüè lì gān jiàn yǐng, xiāo shòu é yì zhōu nèi fān le yí bèi.
    This marketing strategy produced instant results — sales doubled within a week.
  • 立竿见影，。
    Tā tí chū de gǎi gé fāng àn bìng fēi lì gān jiàn yǐng, xū yào cháng qī tuī xíng cái néng jiàn xiào.
    The reform plan he proposed does not yield instant results; it requires long-term implementation to take effect.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān竿gān
Same sound today

竿 uses 竹, bamboo, to mark the material, with 干 giving the sound.

Open 竿 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
景
景jǐng影yǐng
Same sound today

影 pairs 景, which gives the sound and also carries the idea of image, with 彡, the part that points to shadow.

Open 影 →

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