Chinese word

闪

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǎn

Meaning

  • verbflash

Example

灯闪了一下。dēng shǎn le yí xià

The light flashed once.

Illustration for 闪 (flash)

More examples

孩子们看到礼物盒时眼睛闪亮了。hái zi men kàn dào lǐ wù hé shí yǎn jīng shǎn liàng le

The children's eyes gleamed when they saw the gift box.

Core concept

A quick burst of light makes a sudden, momentary appearance.

Common phrases

  • 闪亮shǎn liàng

    gleam

  • 闪烁shǎn shuò

    flicker

Similar words

闪烁shǎn shuò: Change repeatedly between bright and dim at short intervals.
闪开shǎn kāi: Move quickly to the side to clear a path.
发光fā guāng: Produce light from a source.

Definition in Chinese

在短时间内发出或出现光亮，常用于描述灯、闪电等一瞬的光。zài duǎn shí jiān nèi fā chū huò chū xiàn guāng liàng cháng yòng yú miáo shù dēng shǎn diàn děng yí shùn de guāng

Word origin

闪 (shǎn, "flash") comes from the older form 閃 (shǎn, "flash"), associated with a person appearing suddenly through a gate and then with light appearing suddenly.

Usage tips

  • The complement 一下 (yíxià, "once/briefly") often marks a single short event, making it useful when a light appears for only one moment.

Other meanings

  • blinkverb
  • flickerverb

Opposites

  • 熄灭xī miègo outverb

Related words

Word lists with this word