Chinese word

一帆风顺

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī fān fēng shùn

Meaning

  • idiomsmooth sailing

Example

祝你一帆风顺。zhù nǐ yì fān fēng shùn

May everything go smoothly for you.

Illustration for 一帆风顺 (smooth sailing)

More examples

经过多年的努力，他的事业终于一帆风顺。jīng guò duō nián de nǔ lì tā de shì yè zhōng yú yì fān fēng shùn

After years of effort, his career finally went smoothly.

Core concept

A vessel has the wind behind its sail and travels steadily along an open route.

Common phrases

  • 祝你一帆风顺zhù nǐ yì fān fēng shùn

    wish you smooth sailing

  • 事业一帆风顺shì yè yì fān fēng shùn

    career goes smoothly

  • 前程一帆风顺qián chéng yì fān fēng shùn

    smooth sailing ahead

Similar words

顺风顺水shùn fēng shùn shuǐ: Describes things going very smoothly with almost no problems.
一路顺风yí lù shùn fēng: Wishes someone a safe and smooth journey when they set off.
万事如意wàn shì rú yì: Wishes that everything goes well and turns out as desired.
心想事成xīn xiǎng shì chéng: Expresses a wish that someone's hopes and plans come true.

Definition in Chinese

形容事情进行得非常顺利，没有遇到阻碍或困难。xíng róng shì qíng jìn xíng de fēi cháng shùn lì méi yǒu yù dào zǔ ài huò kùn nán

Word origin

The idiom joins 一 (yī, "one") and 帆 (fān, "sail") with 风 (fēng, "wind") and 顺 (shùn, "smooth"), turning an unobstructed voyage into a picture of successful progress.

Usage tips

  • The expression usually looks toward what is about to happen, so it fits a blessing for someone's plans more naturally than a neutral report about completed results.

Opposites

  • 坎坷不平kán kě bù píngrough goingidiom
  • 波折重重bō zhé chóng chóngbeset by setbacksidiom

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