风靡一时 (fēng mǐ yī shí) — to be all the rage for a while; to be wildly popular for a period

Definition

An idiomatic verb phrase meaning something swept in and was wildly popular for a short period, but the craze has already passed.

verb
to be all the rage for a whileto be wildly popular for a period

Examples

  • 风靡一时。
    Zhè zhǒng fà xíng céng jīng fēng mǐ yī shí.
    This hairstyle was once all the rage.
  • 风靡一时。
    fēng mǐ yī shí De gē qǔ hěn kuài jiù bèi wàng jì le.
    Songs that were wildly popular for a while are soon forgotten.
  • 风靡一时，。
    Nà ge yóu xì fēng mǐ yī shí, dàn xiàn zài méi shén me rén wán le.
    That game was a craze for a while, but now hardly anyone plays it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

风靡sweep like wind
风fēngwind靡mísweep
偏正Modifier + head
一时a period
一yīone时shítime
偏正Modifier + head

风靡 suggests sweeping like wind, 一时 marks a short period.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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
非非fēi
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má靡mí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

靡 combines 非, linked to scattering, with 麻 for sound.

Open 靡 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

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