flash in the pan

IPA/flˈaʃ ɪnðə pˈan/
IPA/flˈæʃ ɪnðə pˈæn/

flash in the pan — 名詞

1. something that starts with sudden energy or excitement but produces no lasting o

1.名詞B2
釋義

曇花一現

突然短暫努力但毫無成果

something that starts with sudden energy or excitement but produces no lasting or real result, fizzling out almost immediately

例句

Hiro's weekend guitar attempt was a flash in the pan — he quit after two days.

Hiro 花一個週末學吉他的嘗試只是曇花一現——兩天後他就放棄了。

used after 'be' to describe a failed brief effort

The jump in sales was a flash in the pan when the company lost those customers.

業績突然上升只是曇花一現，因為公司隨後就流失了那些客戶。

同義詞
  • one-hit wonder

    more specific to entertainment or sports; implies exactly one success followed by nothing

  • nine-day wonder

    older, less common; emphasises the very short duration of interest

反義詞

文法句型

be a flash in the pan

prove to be a flash in the pan

用法筆記

Commonly follows the verb 'be' or 'prove to be'. The phrase is always singular — you cannot say 'flashes in the pan' as a plural referring to a single event.

常見錯誤

❌His success was flashes in the pan.
✅His success was a flash in the pan.
💡the phrase is always singular.
❌The flash in the pan actor disappeared.
✅The actor was a flash in the pan and then disappeared.
💡the phrase is not used as an attributive adjective before a noun.

2. a person, project, or product that looks very promising at first but quickly tur

2.名詞B2
釋義

虛有其表

看似有前途但最終令人失望

a person, project, or product that looks very promising at first but quickly turns out to be disappointing, worthless, or unable to sustain its early success

例句

Critics dismissed the singer as a flash in the pan, but a second album proved them wrong.

樂評人認為這位歌手只是虛有其表，但第二張專輯證明了他們錯了。

passive: 'dismissed as a flash in the pan'

The start-up was a flash in the pan — investors poured money into it for six months, then it collapsed.

這家新創公司只是虛有其表——投資者砸錢進去，然後它就倒閉了。

同義詞
  • false dawn

    more formal; suggests the promise was an illusion from the start

  • passing fad

    focuses on brief popularity rather than initial promise

反義詞

文法句型

be a flash in the pan

dismiss someone/something as a flash in the pan

no flash in the pan

用法筆記

Frequently used in negative sentences ('no flash in the pan') to assert that something is genuinely successful or lasting. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 emphasises the effort being brief and fruitless, while sense 2 emphasises the initial promise that later disappoints.

常見錯誤

❌He is a flash in the pan singer.
✅He is a singer who turned out to be a flash in the pan.
💡'flash in the pan' is not used as an attributive adjective.