有朝一日
- Literal
- there being a morning, one day
- Figurative
- Someday, at some still uncertain point in the future; it usually comes with a hope, a wish or a vow one means to fulfill in time.
Where does 有朝一日 come from?
It does not come from a specific anecdote; it is a set phrase of the spoken language, already on record in Yuan-dynasty drama (《冻苏秦》). 朝 is read zhāo here, "morning, day," as in 朝夕, not cháo, "court" or "dynasty." 有朝 ("should there be a morning") and 一日 ("one day") say almost the same thing, and that repetition gives it an emphatic ring, like a promise. It usually opens the sentence, followed by what one hopes to achieve or plans to do when that moment comes (有朝一日我要…). It works for a dream as well as for a warning or a score still to be settled.
Source (出处): 无名氏《冻苏秦》
How is 有朝一日 used? Two examples
- 有朝一日我攒够了钱，就带爸妈去国外旅游。
Someday, once I've saved up enough, I'll take my parents on a trip abroad.
- 他一直相信，有朝一日自己的小店能开成连锁店。
He has always believed that one day his little shop will grow into a chain.
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