曇花一現 tán huā yī xiàn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once
  2. flash in the pan (idiom)
  3. short-lived

CHARACTERS

曇 tán become cloudy, overcast
花 huā
HSK 3
flower; blossoms
一 yī
HSK 1
one; a, an; alone
現 xiàn appear, manifest, become visible