# 南柯一梦

nán kē yī mèng

An ambition proves fleeting or illusory

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A dream of Nanke

**Traditional Chinese:** 南柯一夢

**Register:** Reflective · literary

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Describe imagined glory that quickly disappears.

Often regretful, not every ordinary dream.

## Understanding the expression

The phrase evokes a whole desirable world experienced as a dream, then lost on waking. Modern speakers use it for ambitions, status, or plans that once seemed real but leave little behind. The contrast is between the richness of expectation and the thinness of the final result. It often carries regret or reflection. A temporary success may still have value, even when the speaker compares its passing to an unreal dream.

## Examples

那场暴富幻想只是南柯一梦。

### Traditional Chinese

那場暴富幻想只是南柯一夢。

nà chǎng bào fù huàn xiǎng zhǐ shì nán kē yī mèng 。

The fantasy of sudden wealth was only an illusion.

他醒来发现荣华不过南柯一梦。

### Traditional Chinese

他醒來發現榮華不過南柯一夢。

tā xǐng lái fā xiàn róng huá bú guò nán kē yī mèng 。

He woke to find the glory had only been a dream.

创业计划最终成了南柯一梦。

### Traditional Chinese

創業計劃最終成了南柯一夢。

chuàng yè jì huà zuì zhōng chéng le nán kē yī mèng 。

The startup plan ended as a vanished dream.

电影把名利描绘成南柯一梦。

### Traditional Chinese

電影把名利描繪成南柯一夢。

diàn yǐng bǎ míng lì miáo huì chéng nán kē yī mèng 。

The film portrays fame and profit as fleeting illusions.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%8D%97%E6%9F%AF%E4%B8%80%E5%A4%A2)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=191&webMd=1&la=0)

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