p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

昙花一现

曇花一現
tánhuāyīxiàn
idiom #33,845

Meanings

  1. 1 a brief, fleeting appearance
  2. 2 a flash in the pan
  3. 3 short-lived like the udumbara flower

Examples

他的成功只是昙花一现。
Tā de chénggōng zhǐshì tánhuāyīxiàn.
His success was just a flash in the pan.
这股流行风潮昙花一现，很快就消失了。
Zhè gǔ liúxíng fēngcháo tánhuāyīxiàn, hěn kuài jiù xiāoshī le.
This fashion trend was a brief flash — it quickly faded away.
许多网红都是昙花一现，难以长久走红。
Xǔduō wǎnghóng dōu shì tánhuāyīxiàn, nányǐ chángjiǔ zǒuhóng.
Many internet celebrities are one-hit wonders who can't stay popular for long.

Tips

history
From the 《妙法莲华经·方便品》 (Lotus Sutra): 如优昙钵花，时一现耳 — 'like the udumbara flower, which appears only once in an age.' In Buddhist lore, the udumbara blooms once every 3,000 years; 昙花 in modern Chinese refers to the night-blooming cereus, which opens for only a few hours after dark.
culture
The night-blooming cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is still called 昙花 in Chinese and is widely cultivated — its brief bloom is a popular subject for nature photography.

Stroke Order

昙 tán
花 huā
一 yī
现 xiàn