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yī 一 zhāo 朝 yī 一 xī 夕

一朝一夕 yī zhāo yī xī

in a single day; overnight (usually in the negative)

Literally: one morning one evening

Beginner ⏳ Time & change
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Origin

From the Book of Changes (Yijing, Wen Yan commentary): 非一朝一夕之故 (not the cause of a single day).

How to use it

Object of 不是/非; neutral. Almost always 不是一朝一夕的事 / 非一朝一夕之功.

Example sentences

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  1. 学好一门外语不是一朝一夕的事。
    Xuéhǎo yī mén wàiyǔ bù shì yī zhāo yī xī de shì.
    Mastering a foreign language is not something done overnight.
    learn-well one (measure) foreign-language not is one morning one evening (particle) matter
  2. 他的成功不是一朝一夕得到的，而是十年努力的结果。
    Tā de chénggōng bù shì yī zhāo yī xī dédào de, ér shì shí nián nǔlì de jiéguǒ.
    His success didn't come overnight; it's the result of ten years of hard work.
    he (particle) success not is one morning one evening obtain (particle), but is ten years effort (particle) result

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