一鼓作气

• Pinyin: yī gǔ zuò qì
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = first/one; 鼓 = 壴 + 攴 (drum on stand + strike — to beat a drum); 作 = 人 + 乍 (person + sudden action — to create, to raise); 气 = steam/breath (spirit, morale, energy)

Meaning

To accomplish something in one vigorous effort; to press forward while momentum is high and complete a task without letting resolve falter.

A four-character idiom (成语) from Zuo Zhuan (左传). Historical origin: Cao Gui advised that the first drumbeat (一鼓) raises troops' spirit (作气); by the third beat, morale flags. Applied broadly to any endeavour requiring sustained momentum and concentration in a single push. Compare 趁热打铁 (strike while the iron is hot).

Examples

1. 教练在中场休息时要求全队一鼓作气拿下下半场，不能在领先两球的情况下放松警惕。 At halftime, the coach told the whole team to press forward and win the second half in one push, and not to let their guard down even with a two-goal lead.
2. 既然已经决定创业，就应该一鼓作气完成商业计划书和资金申请，拖拖拉拉只会消耗激情和时机。 Since you’ve decided to start a business, you should push through and finish the business plan and funding applications in one go—dragging it out only drains your passion and wastes the moment.
3. 她一鼓作气连续写了三章小说，趁灵感涌现的状态将整个故事转折写得通畅无比。 She powered through and wrote three chapters in a row, taking advantage of the surge of inspiration to make the story’s turning point flow flawlessly.

Usage Guide

Context: motivation, sport, work, business

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 马拉松选手在最后十公里往往会遭遇撞墙期，此时能否一鼓作气咬牙坚持，在很大程度上取决于赛前的体能储备以及比赛中的配速策略。(Marathon runners often encounter the 'wall' in the final ten kilometres; whether one can press on with full determination at this point depends greatly on pre-race conditioning and the pacing strategy employed during the race.)
• 委员会建议趁此次立法窗口一鼓作气推动三项相互关联的法规修订同步完成，若错过本届会期再分批处理，将面临更大的程序阻力与时间成本。(The committee recommended pressing forward in one vigorous push to complete the revision of three interrelated regulations during the current legislative window; if missed and handled in batches later, far greater procedural resistance and time costs would be incurred.)

Don't Say

• 他一鼓作气地慢慢完成了任务 — 一鼓作气 emphasises a single sustained burst of effort; pairing it with 慢慢 (slowly) directly contradicts its meaning; use 稳步推进 or 循序渐进 for gradual progress

Origin & History

一 (first/one) + 鼓 (drum — 壴 drum on stand + 攴 strike) + 作 (to raise/create) + 气 (spirit/morale). From Zuo Zhuan: 一鼓作气，再而衰，三而竭 (the first drumbeat raises spirit; the second weakens it; the third exhausts it).

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal