Chinese word

一刹那

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī chà nà

Meaning

  • nouninstant

Example

灯光在一刹那熄灭了。dēng guāng zài yí chà nà xī miè le

The light went out in an instant.

Illustration for 一刹那 (instant)

More examples

他在一刹那做出了决定。tā zài yí chà nà zuò chū le jué dìng

He made a decision in an instant.

Core concept

A pinpoint of time that captures a sudden event, disappearance, or change.

Common phrases

  • 在一刹那消失zài yí chà nà xiāo shī

    disappear in an instant

  • 一刹那之中yí chà nà zhī zhōng

    within an instant

  • 一刹那的决定yí chà nà de jué dìng

    a split-second decision

Similar words

瞬间shùn jiān: A moment so brief that an event or change seems immediate.
片刻piàn kè: A brief period of time that can continue for a little while.
顷刻qǐng kè: A very brief moment during which something changes suddenly.
一瞬yí shùn: A tiny moment that passes almost at once.

Definition in Chinese

极短的一段时间，表示事物在瞬间发生、消失或变化的时刻。jí duǎn de yí duàn shí jiān biǎo shì shì wù zài shùn jiān fā shēng xiāo shī huò biàn huà de shí kè

Word origin

The form 一 (yī, "one") + 刹那 (chànà, "a moment") treats 刹那 as one brief unit of time, from the Buddhist term for an instant.

Usage tips

  • Its formal, literary tone makes it useful for recognizing heightened language, while ordinary conversation usually favors simpler time expressions.

Opposites

Related words

  • 刹那chà nàinstantnoun

Word lists with this word