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短暂 (duǎn zàn) — brief, short-lived, momentary

Definition

短暂 describes time as fleeting — a short, passing duration (短暂的青春, 短暂的休息). Unlike 简短/简要 (which describe speech or writing as concise), 短暂 is only used for time.

adjective
briefshort-livedmomentary

Examples

  • 短暂。
    Wǒ men zhǐ yǒu duǎn zàn de xiū xi shí jiān.
    We only have a brief rest time.
  • 短暂，。
    Zhè chǎng yǔ hěn duǎn zàn, hěn kuài jiù tíng le.
    This rain was brief and stopped quickly.
  • 短暂。
    duǎn zàn De qīng chūn zhí dé zhēn xī.
    Brief youth is worth cherishing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

短duǎnshort
暂zàntemporary

短 and 暂 both point to a short span, so together they mean brief.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu短duǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

Open 短 →

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 暫; 暂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
斬
斬zhǎn暫zàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 暫 has 日 (day) for the meaning and 斬 (zhǎn) for the sound; the simplified 暂 is a later shorthand.

Open 暂 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Frequency & Duration

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