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台上一分钟，台下十年功

tái shàng yī fēn zhōng , tái xià shí nián gōngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
ten years of practice for one minute on the stage (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-5862496b8dece48a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

臺上一分鐘，臺下十年功 台上一分钟，台下十年功 [tai2 shang4 yi1 fen1 zhong1 , tai2 xia4 shi2 nian2 gong1] /ten years of practice for one minute on the stage (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 臺上一分鐘，臺下十年功

  • 台
    tāi

    used in place names

    tái

    (classical) you (in letters) / desk / table / counter / platform / stage / terrace / stand / support / station / broadcasting station / classifier for vehicles or machines / typhoon

    Tái

    Taiwan (abbr.) / surname Tai

  • 上
    shǎng

    used in 上聲|上声[shǎng shēng]

    shàng

    (bound form) up / upper / above / previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb / to get onto / to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on / above

  • 一
    yī

    one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

  • 分
    fēn

    to divide / to separate / to distribute / to allocate / to distinguish (good and bad) / (bound form) branch of (an organization) / sub- (as in 分局[fēn jú]) / fraction / one tenth (of certain units) / unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm / minute (unit of time) / minute (angular measurement unit) / a point (in sports or games) / 0.01 yuan (unit of money)

    fèn

    part / share / ingredient / component

  • 钟
    zhōng

    handleless cup / goblet / (bound form) to concentrate (one's affection etc) / a (large) bell (CL:架[jià]) / clock (CL:座[zuò]) / amount of time / o'clock (CL:點|点[diǎn],分[fēn],秒[miǎo]) (as in 三點鐘|三点钟[sān diǎn zhōng] "three o'clock" or "three hours" or 五分鐘|五分钟[wǔ fēn zhōng] "five minutes" etc)

    Zhōng

    surname Zhong

  • 台
    tāi

    used in place names

    tái

    (classical) you (in letters) / desk / table / counter / platform / stage / terrace / stand / support / station / broadcasting station / classifier for vehicles or machines / typhoon

    Tái

    Taiwan (abbr.) / surname Tai

  • 下
    xià

    down / downwards / below / lower / later / next (week etc) / second (of two parts) / to decline / to go down / to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc) / measure word to show the frequency of an action

  • 十
    shí

    ten / 10

  • 年
    nián

    year / CL:個|个[gè] / grain / harvest (old)

    Nián

    surname Nian

  • 功
    gōng

    meritorious deed or service / achievement / result / service / accomplishment / work (physics)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.