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一炮而紅

简一炮而红 · 繁一炮而紅

Mandarin · pinyin yī pào ér hóng

to win instant success (idiom)
to become an instant hit

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
炮: pào · large gun, cannon; artillery
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
紅: hóng · red, vermillion; blush, flush
红: hóng · red, vermillion; blush, flush

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–2–2 · yi1 pao4 er2 hong2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

一炮而紅 · find source passages ↗ · 一炮而红 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 paau3 ji4 hung4

Cantonese word readings for 一炮而紅. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to become famous overnight

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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