一鸣惊人

一鳴驚人

yìmíng-jīngrén

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

HSK 7-9

他默默无闻多年，终于一鸣惊人，获得了国际大奖。

Tā mòmò-wúwén duōnián, zhōngyú yìmíng-jīngrén, huòdé le guójì dàjiǎng.

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

HSK 7-9

这位年轻设计师在时装周上一鸣惊人。

Zhè wèi niánqīng shèjìshī zài shízhuāng zhōu shàng yìmíng-jīngrén.

This young designer made a stunning debut at Fashion Week.

Tips

history

This idiom originates from the 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