一霎

yīshà
phrase #98,577

Meanings

  1. 1 in a flash
  2. 2 in an instant
  3. 3 for a brief moment

Examples

Yīshà jiān, wūyún zhē zhù le tàiyáng.
In an instant, dark clouds blocked out the sun.
Tā de xiàoróng yīshà ér guò.
His smile passed in a flash.

Tips

register
Literary/written. In modern prose you'll usually see it expanded as 一霎 or 一霎 (yīshàjiān, yīshàshí). Compare colloquial 一下子 yīxiàzi 'all of a sudden' or 一瞬间 yīshùnjiān 'in a blink' — same idea, different register.
memory
has the rain radical on top because its original meaning is 'a brief shower of rain.' A passing rain shower → a fleeting moment. The image carries through directly.

Stroke Order

shà