短暂 (duǎn zàn) describes something that lasts a very short time, often with a sense of fleetingness or transience (e.g., a moment, youth, rain). It is more literary and emotional than the general 短 (duǎn, 'short'), and unlike 短期 (duǎn qī, 'short-term') which refers to a period, 短暂 focuses on the brevity of the event itself.