expression
one red flower in a sea of green; one outstanding item among many; one woman among many men
A classical Chinese proverb used to describe a single striking element—often a woman—standing out in a group of otherwise uniform or mediocre members. The literal image is a single red blossom amid lush green foliage. Modern usage is somewhat literary or rhetorical.
See also: 万緑一紅
彼女は男性ばかりの職場で、まさに万緑叢中紅一点の存在だ。
In a workplace full of men, she is truly the one red flower in a sea of green.
この平凡な作品群の中で、彼の絵だけが万緑叢中紅一点の輝きを放っている。
Among these mediocre works, only his painting shines like a single red blossom in a field of green.
A shorter variant of the same proverb, literally 'ten thousand green, one red.' It carries the same meaning but is less commonly used than 万緑叢中紅一点.
An abbreviated form meaning 'a single red dot' or 'the one red.' It is often used to refer to the sole woman in a group of men, and is more casual and common than the full proverb.
Derived from a line in a classical Chinese poem by Wang Anshi (王安石) of the Song dynasty: 「万緑叢中紅一点、動人春色不須多」 (Amidst ten thousand green bushes, a single red blossom; to move one's heart, spring colors need not be many). The phrase entered Japanese as a yojijukugo-style proverb.