📖 Meaning
To succeed in a single step. It describes something achieved effortlessly and instantly, without requiring gradual effort or multiple attempts. The phrase is often used in the negative to caution against expecting quick results.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appeared in a letter by Su Xun, a renowned essayist of the Northern Song dynasty, addressed to a high-ranking military official named Tian. He wrote that every scholar under heaven wishes to reach the realm of sages in a single stride. The phrase was later shortened to its current four-character form, emphasizing the illusion of instant success. It has since become a common cautionary expression in Chinese literature and daily speech.
💡 Example Usage
学习外语不能一蹴而就，需要长期坚持。
Learning a foreign language cannot be achieved overnight; it requires long-term perseverance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一蹴而就
- Pinyin: yī cù ér jiù
- Literal Translation: one, step, and, accomplish
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4