sing1 fo2 liu4 jyun4星火燎原
Jyutpingsing1 fo2 liu4 jyun4
Yalesīng fó lìuh yùhn
Definition
A single spark can start a prairie fire; a small action can have a huge, widespread impact.
writtenother
How it's used
This idiom is frequently used in political or social contexts to describe how a minor incident or a small group of people can trigger a massive, unstoppable movement. It carries a sense of dramatic inevitability, highlighting that once a threshold is crossed, the momentum becomes impossible to suppress. While it has a literary origin, it is commonly used in modern discourse to analyze the rapid growth of trends or public sentiment.
Examples
Don't underestimate these small things; they could easily spiral out of control.
This movement is like a spark that has set the whole prairie ablaze; its influence is immense.
Related words
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
