稍纵即逝 (shāo zòng jí shì) — (idiom) fleeting; transient; quickly passing

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

稍 combines 禾 and 肖: 禾 is the part tied to the character's meaning, and 肖 is the part tied to its sound.

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 縱; 纵 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 縱 pairs the 糸 part with 從 as a sound part; the simplified 纵 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

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

即 pairs 皀 (an ancient round-mouthed food vessel) with 卩 (to kneel), showing someone kneeling near the vessel to eat, so it means to come near or approach.

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

逝 combines 辵, a walking part, with 折, which gives the sound.