Grade 9 Idiom for GCSE Chinese Writing Exam 一帆风顺

Good morning,

Use this idiom to achieve a Grade 9 in your GCSE Chinese writing exam. Nothing of what follows is written by Artificial Intelligence.

The milk sat in the fridge, and a fierce gale blew around the house.

At this time, Giles woke up. He had, by the narrative requirements of his author’s hand, become a bird.

Giles enjoyed being a bird.

On getting the milk for his morning cup of tea - no mean feat for a bird, for whom the complexities of fridge doors proved a struggle - he realised that it had gone off. To Giles, this was not a day that had started well.

Yet.

As he began to cry the first drips of bird-tears, inspiration struck him.

The wind, which had hitherto been blowing fiercely and frighteningly outside his home, suddenly showed itself to be incredibly useful.

Giles was, after all, a bird.

Giles needed only to open the door, spread his bird-wings, tuck in his bird-legs, and let the wind carry his bird-self all the way to the shops.

As Giles did this, he cried - whilst using an idiom that perfectly captures the idea of ‘wind’ - “啊，一帆风顺” / “Ah, such plain indeed!”.

He triumphantly arrived at the local shop and purchased his much-needed milk.

Students: Your teacher is aware that birds cannot swagger into shops and purchase milk. To see how Giles fixes this situation, read the next instalment of Mandarin Ambition on Friday 27th March.

一帆风顺 - smooth sailing; everything is going well

Professional Use: 本季度公司的新产品推广总体上一帆风顺，市场反应非常积极。This quarter, the company’s new product launch has gone very smoothly, with a highly positive market response.

Foundation Use: 希望你这次考试一帆风顺！Hope your exam goes smoothly!

Origin: Around the time of the Maritime Silk Road, where maritime trade and sailing became more popular, this phrase was born. This idiom can be used to wish someone good luck during studies, their new work, or before travel.

I trust that you will have a splendid, fruitful week.