📖 Meaning
To achieve fame and recognition through a single successful action or accomplishment. It describes someone who becomes widely known after one notable achievement, often implying that a single bold or brilliant effort is enough to establish one's reputation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is rooted in the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) imperial examination system (科举制度), where scholars who passed the palace examination (殿试) in one attempt would instantly gain honor, official rank, and widespread renown. Success in the exams was a transformative event — a scholar from humble origins could become a celebrated public figure overnight. The motif of 一举成名 appears throughout Tang and Song dynasty poetry and prose, most famously in the works of poets like 孟郊 (Meng Jiao), who celebrated his own examination success with the lines 春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花. Over centuries, the phrase evolved from a literal description of examination success into a broader metaphor for achieving sudden fame through a single effort.
💡 Example Usage
莫言凭借《红高粱家族》一举成名，后来更获得了诺贝尔文学奖。
Mo Yan achieved fame overnight with Red Sorghum, and later went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一举成名
- Pinyin: yī jǔ chéng míng
- Literal Translation: one, act, achieve, fame
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4