一传十十传百
Reach for this fixed idiom when you want to describe rumors, gossip, viral trends, or word-of-mouth spreading explosively from person to person. 'One tells ten, ten tell a hundred.' Use it in storytelling, journalism, and casual narration when something blew up fast through social networks — a hot dish, a scandal, a viral video. It's vivid, idiomatic, and instantly understood.
Structure
一传十, 十传百
yī chuán shí, shí chuán bǎi
How to Think About It
传 means 'pass on / transmit.' The idiom paints the multiplication visually: one person tells ten, those ten each tell ten more. It's locked in this exact form — you can't swap numbers ('一传二二传四' isn't a thing). Native speakers use it as a single chunk, often after 就这样 or before 火遍全网 to land the 'and that's how it spread everywhere' beat. The pattern is a punctuation mark for going viral.
Examples
这家店的味道很好, 一传十十传百, 现在每天都排长队。
Zhè jiā diàn de wèidào hěn hǎo, yī chuán shí, shí chuán bǎi, xiànzài měitiān dōu pái cháng duì.
This restaurant tastes great — word spread fast and now there's a long line every day.
消息一传十十传百, 全村都知道了。
Xiāoxi yī chuán shí, shí chuán bǎi, quán cūn dōu zhīdào le.
The news spread person to person until the whole village knew.
就这样一传十十传百, 这首歌火遍了网络。
Jiù zhèyàng yī chuán shí, shí chuán bǎi, zhè shǒu gē huǒ biàn le wǎngluò.
Just like that, word spread and this song went viral across the internet.
Common Mistake
Learners try to use it for slow or controlled spreading ('我们一传十十传百地通知所有人'), but the idiom specifically describes uncontrolled, organic spread — rumors, fame, viral content. Use it for spontaneous spread, not for planned announcements.
我们公司一传十十传百地告诉员工新政策。
这个消息一传十十传百, 全公司都知道了。
Don't Confuse With
口口相传
More formal, neutral — 'passed from mouth to mouth.' Used for traditions, recipes, recommendations spread over time. 一传十十传百 emphasizes speed and explosion; 口口相传 emphasizes the channel.
传开了
Simpler — 'has spread.' Use 传开了 for any news that got out; use 一传十十传百 when you want to dramatize how fast and wide it went.
病毒式传播
Modern marketing term — 'viral spread.' More technical, often used in business or media analysis. 一传十十传百 is the colloquial, storytelling version.
Practice
一传十, 十 ___ 百。
Show answer
传
消息 ___ 传十十传百, 大家都知道了。
Show answer
一
Put in order: [十传百 / 一传十 / 火了 / 这家餐厅]
Show answer
一传十, 十传百, 这家餐厅火了。
Translate to Chinese: 'Word spread fast and the whole school knew.'
Show answer
一传十十传百, 全校都知道了。
Write one sentence using 一传十十传百 to describe something spreading by word of mouth.
Show answer
Example answer: 这个视频一传十十传百, 一晚上就有了一百万播放量。 (The video spread person to person and hit a million views in one night.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: