Chinese word

一瞬间

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī shùn jiān

Meaning

  • adverbin an instant

Example

他一瞬间就走了。tā yí shùn jiān jiù zǒu le

He left in an instant.

Illustration for 一瞬间 (in an instant)

More examples

雾在一瞬间消失了。wù zài yí shùn jiān xiāo shī le

The fog disappeared in an instant.

Core concept

A single point on the time line so brief that an action seems to happen all at once.

Common phrases

  • 一瞬间就yí shùn jiān jiù

    in an instant

  • 在一瞬间之内zài yí shùn jiān zhī nèi

    within an instant

  • 一瞬间消失yí shùn jiān xiāo shī

    disappear in an instant

  • 一瞬间定格yí shùn jiān dìng gé

    freeze in an instant

Similar words

瞬间shùn jiān: Marks an action as occurring at a very brief point in time.
一下子yí xià zi: Shows that a change or event happens suddenly within a short time.
立刻lì kè: Shows that an action or measure is carried out immediately and without hesitation.
马上mǎ shàng: Shows that something starts right away.

Definition in Chinese

表示时间极短的瞬间，常用作副词修饰动作的瞬时发生或完成。biǎo shì shí jiān jí duǎn de shùn jiān cháng yòng zuò fù cí xiū shì dòng zuò de shùn shí fā shēng huò wán chéng

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 瞬 (shùn, "blink") + 间 (jiān, "interval") forms a single blink-length interval, giving the word its sense of an extremely brief time.

Usage tips

  • Unlike the English noun instant, this Chinese word readily serves as an adverb for a whole action, not only as a noun naming a short time.

Other meanings

  • instantnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word