| 瞬息之间 |
shùn xī zhī jiān |
(idiom) in the wink of an eye; in a flash |
| 瞬 |
shùn |
to wink |
| 瞬息 |
shùn xī |
in a flash / twinkling / ephemeral |
| 息 |
xī |
(bound form) breath / (bound form) to cease; to stop / (bound form) to rest / (bound form) news / (bound form) interest (on money) / (bound form) to grow; to multiply / (literary) one's child / Taiwan pr. [xi2] |
| 之 |
zhī |
(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的) / him / her / it |
| 之间 |
zhī jiān |
(after a noun) between; among; amid / (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 弹指之间) |
| 间 |
jiān |
between / among / within a definite time or space / room / section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars / classifier for rooms |
| 间 |
jiàn |
gap / to separate / to thin out (seedlings) / to sow discontent |