一鸣惊人

一鳴驚人

yīmíngjīngrén

idiom #24,756

Meanings

1 to amaze the world with a single feat
2 to make a stunning debut
3 to suddenly achieve greatness after a long silence

Characters

to cry out (bird); to sound

to startle; to astonish

Examples

他默默无闻多年，终于一鸣惊人，获得了国际大奖。

Tā mòmò wúwén duō nián, zhōngyú yīmíngjīngrén, huòdé le guójì dàjiǎng.

After years of obscurity, he finally burst onto the scene and won an international award.

这位年轻设计师在时装周上一鸣惊人。

Zhè wèi niánqīng shèjìshī zài shízhuāng zhōu shàng yīmíngjīngrén.

This young designer made a stunning debut at Fashion Week.

Tips

history

This idiom originates from the Shiji (史记). When asked why King Wei of Chu had ignored state affairs for three years, a courtier replied: 'That bird has not flown, but when it flies it will soar to the sky; it has not sung, but when it sings it will astound people.' (此鸟不鸣则已，一鸣惊人). King Wei then reformed and became a great ruler.

Stroke Order

一 yī

鸣 míng

惊 jīng

人 rén