📖 Meaning
This idiom describes something that becomes extremely popular for a period of time, sweeping through society like a gust of wind. It conveys a trend or fashion that enjoys intense but often temporary prominence. The popularity is widespread and notable within a specific timeframe.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel Nie Hai Hua (A Flower in a Sinful Sea) by Zeng Pu, specifically Chapter 3. In the passage, a speaker compares two literary manuscripts, remarking that Tang brother's printed work Bu Xi Zhai Gao, though enjoying great popularity for a time, could never hope to rival the superior Wu Ding Ge Gao. The phrase uses the metaphor of wind sweeping across to describe how a work or thing can gain widespread acclaim within a certain period. It has since been generalized to describe any fashion, trend, or phenomenon that flourishes intensely for a season.
💡 Example Usage
这首歌曲在八十年代风行一时，至今仍被人传唱。
This song was all the rage in the 1980s and is still sung today.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 风行一时
- Pinyin: fēng xíng yī shī
- Literal Translation: wind, sweep, one, period
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4