名噪一时
míng zào yī shí
famous for a while; all the rage in its day
Character by character
名míng
name
name
噪zào
resound
resound
一yī
one
one
时shí
time
time
Example
这位作家年轻时名噪一时，晚年却很少有人记得他。
The writer was famous in his youth, but in his old age few people remembered him.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
噪 is the noise of birds or insects: for a time the name is on every tongue. It usually hints that the fame did not last; compare 红极一时 (lesson 4-10) and 风靡一时 (lesson 3-12). 噪 is zào.
Learn this in Lesson 232 · HSK 9+: 超级女声 (Super Girl: the show that taught China to vote)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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