闪现 (shǎn xiàn) — to flash before one's eyes (as a memory, vision…

Definition

verb

to flash before one's eyes (as a memory, vision, or image)

闪现。
Tā de xiào róng tū rán zài nǎo hǎi zhōng shǎn xiàn.
His smile suddenly flashed through my mind.
闪现。
Nà fú huà miàn yòu zài wǒ yǎn qián shǎn xiàn le yí xià.
That image flashed before my eyes again.
闪现。
Huí yì cháng cháng zài bù jīng yì jiān shǎn xiàn.
Memories often flash by in unguarded moments.

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.

现 appearing is pictured as happening in a 闪 flash, so something suddenly comes into view.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閃; 闪 is its simplified writing.

門人閃

In the traditional 閃, 人 (person) appears inside 門 (gate), showing a person running through a gate. The simplified 闪 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 現; 现 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

見

見jiàn現

Same sound today

The traditional form 現 pairs 玉 (jade) with 見 as a sound part; the simplified 现 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Appears in