昙花一现 tán huā yī xiàn
a flash in the pan; short-lived like the night-blooming cereus
Literally: epiphyllum flower one appear
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Origin
From the Lotus Sutra, where the udumbara flower (昙花) blooms only rarely and briefly; later applied to anything fleeting.
How to use it
Predicate or attributive; neutral to negative. 昙花一现的成功.
Example sentences
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- 这个歌手只红了一年，昙花一现就没有人记得了。Zhège gēshǒu zhǐ hóng le yī nián, tán huā yī xiàn jiù méiyǒu rén jìde le.This singer was famous for just a year, a flash in the pan, and then nobody remembered him.this singer only popular (particle) one year, epiphyllum flower one appear then not have person remember (particle)
- 我们希望这种进步不是昙花一现，而是能一直保持。Wǒmen xīwàng zhè zhǒng jìnbù bù shì tán huā yī xiàn, ér shì néng yīzhí bǎochí.We hope this improvement is not just a flash in the pan but can be sustained.we hope this kind progress not is epiphyllum flower one appear, but is can always maintain
More chengyu about time & change
- 一日千里yī rì qiān lǐto advance at a tremendous pace; by leaps and bounds
- 光阴似箭guāng yīn sì jiàntime flies like an arrow
- 千载难逢qiān zǎi nán féngonce in a lifetime; extremely rare opportunity
- 与时俱进yǔ shí jù jìnto keep pace with the times; to move with the times
- 迫在眉睫pò zài méi jiéextremely urgent; imminent
- 今非昔比jīn fēi xī bǐthe present cannot be compared with the past; things have changed enormously
- 岁月如梭suì yuè rú suōtime flies like a weaver's shuttle; how quickly the years pass
- 不知不觉bù zhī bù juéunconsciously; before one knows it