tán昙epiphyllumhuā花floweryī一onexiàn现appear
A flash in the pan; a short-lived glory.
Literal meaning
epiphyllum (昙) — flower (花) — one (一) — appear (现)
Origin
The epiphyllum flower blooms briefly at night. A classical four-character phrase describing something beautiful but fleeting.
Examples
Tā他de的chéng成gōng功zhǐ只shì是tán昙huā花yī一xiàn现，hěn很kuài快jiù就xiāo消shī失le了。
His success was just a flash in the pan and quickly disappeared.
Zhè这zhǒng种liú流xíng行qū趋shì势wǎng往wǎng往zhǐ只shì是tán昙huā花yī一xiàn现。
This kind of trend is often just a flash in the pan.
Usage & nuances
Often used to describe something that is impressive but short-lived.
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