一鸣惊人 yīmíngjīngrén to become famous overnight Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 不鸣则已，一鸣惊人 bùmíngzéyǐyīmíngjīngrén to amaze with a single feat silent for a long time then suddenly achieving greatness; literally translated as not crying out at first, but once one does, it startles everyone