一举成名天下知

一舉成名天下知

yījǔchéngmíngtiānxiàzhī

phrase

Meanings

1 one stroke makes one's name, known across all under heaven
2 to shoot to fame overnight
3 lit. one stroke — becomes famous — the world knows

Characters

to raise; a stroke/move

to become, achieve

below — 天下 = all under heaven

Examples

十年寒窗无人问，一举成名天下知。

Shí nián hánchuāng wú rén wèn, yì jǔ chéng míng tiānxià zhī.

For ten years at the cold window no one asked after him; with a single stroke he made his name, known across all under heaven.

她凭这部电影一举成名天下知。

Tā píng zhè bù diànyǐng yī jǔ chéng míng tiānxià zhī.

On the strength of this film she shot to fame, known throughout the world.

Tips

history

Traditionally paired with 十年寒窗无人问 and attributed to the Yuan dramatist Gao Ming (高明) in 《琵琶记》, though the full couplet circulates widely in Ming-Qing popular literature as the defining expression of the imperial exam dream: ten years of obscure study, then sudden empire-wide fame upon passing the exam.

usage

Almost always cited together with 十年寒窗无人问 ('ten years at the cold window, no one inquires'). The shorter chengyu 一举成名 ('to win fame with one stroke') is standalone in CC-CEDICT.

Stroke Order

一 yī

举 jǔ

成 chéng

名 míng

天 tiān

下 xià

知 zhī