一转眼 (yì zhuǎn yǎn) — in the blink of an eye; in an instant; very qui… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A set phrase meaning time passes in a flash — used in narration or reflection on how quickly something happened.

verb

in the blink of an eyein an instantvery quickly

Examples

一转眼，。
yì zhuǎn yǎn, Shí nián jiù guò qù le.
In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed.
，一转眼。
Gāng cái hái zài shǒu lǐ, yì zhuǎn yǎn jiù bú jiàn le.
It was just in my hand, and in a flash it disappeared.
一转眼，。
yì zhuǎn yǎn, Hái zi yǐ jīng zhǎng dà le.
In the blink of an eye, the child has grown up.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

转眼turn the eye

转zhuǎnturn眼yǎneye

动宾Verb + object

一 means once, 转 turn, 眼 eye; a single turn of the eye takes an instant.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 轉; 转 is its simplified writing.

車專轉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūcarriage

Sound part声符shēngfú

專

專zhuān轉zhuǎn

Same sound today

The traditional form 轉 combines 車, a carriage, with 專 as a sound part; the simplified 转 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

目艮眼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn眼yǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Appears in

Time (Abstract)

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