一溜烟 (yī liù yān) — (idiom) in an instant; like a puff of smoke (describing swift disappearance or movement)
Definition
A vivid idiom meaning 'in a flash, like a puff of smoke' — used to describe someone or something vanishing or dashing away very quickly. Always sits before the verb (e.g. 一溜烟跑了).
idiom
in an instantlike a puff of smoke (describing swift disappearance or movement)
Examples
- ，一溜烟。Xiǎo tōu kàn dào jǐng chá, yī liù yān jiù pǎo yuǎn le.The thief saw the police and ran far away in an instant.
- 一溜烟。Nà zhī māo yī liù yān zuān jìn le cǎo cóng.That cat darted into the grass like a puff of smoke.
- ，一溜烟。Tā jiē dào diàn huà hòu, yī liù yān jiù bú jiàn le.After he got the call, he disappeared in an instant.
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.
一溜 suggests a streak and 烟 suggests smoke, so it pictures swift disappearance.
Appears in
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