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一时间 (yī shí jiān) — for a moment; momentarily; suddenly (used to describe a sudden change or reaction within a short period)

Definition

一时间 means 'for a moment' or 'suddenly' — it frames a brief, often unexpected reaction to a new situation (common before stative verbs like 愣住, 不知道, 犹豫).

noun
for a momentmomentarilysuddenly (used to describe a sudden change or reaction within a short period)

Examples

  • ，一时间。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, yī shí jiān dà jiā dōu lèng zhù le.
    Upon hearing this news, everyone was stunned for a moment.
  • 一时间。
    Tā yī shí jiān bù zhī dào gāi zěn me huí dá.
    For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.
  • ，一时间。
    Miàn duì zhè me duō xuǎn zé, yī shí jiān tā yóu yù le.
    Faced with so many choices, she hesitated for a moment.

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.

一yīone
时间time
时shítime间jiāninterval
联合Coordinate

'一' means one, '时' and '间' give time/interval; together '一时间' means for a moment.

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.

Open 一 →

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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