CHENGYU
一帆风顺(yī fān fēng shùn)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, often a blessing
- Source:
- 唐·孟浩然《送张参明经举兼向泾州省觐》
MEANING
- Literal
- smooth sailing with a single sail
- Figurative meaning
- everything going smoothly; a trouble-free journey
ORIGIN STORY
Seeing a friend off, the Tang poet Meng Haoran wrote: "I grieved that your road held many storms — who knew your sail would find fair winds all the way home?" The image of a sail filled by friendly winds became the blessing for any venture.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“plain sailing”
EXAMPLES
祝你考试一帆风顺！Zhù nǐ kǎoshì yī fān fēng shùn!HSK6
May your exam go smoothly — fair winds and following seas!
项目一帆风顺，提前完成了。Xiàngmù yī fān fēng shùn, tíqián wánchéng le.HSK6
The project sailed smoothly and finished ahead of schedule.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is a blessing about smooth progress — often used in farewells and good wishes.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01