转眼间

轉眼間

zhuǎnyǎnjiān

adverb #29,909

Meanings

转眼间，孩子们都长大了。

Zhuǎnyǎnjiān, háizi men dōu zhǎngdà le.

In the blink of an eye, the children had all grown up.

转眼间，三年过去了，她终于毕业了。

Zhuǎnyǎnjiān, sānnián guòqù le, tā zhōngyú bìyè le.

Before she knew it, three years had passed and she finally graduated.

memory

Think of it literally: 转眼 = 'turn eye' (a single eye movement), 间 = 'interval'. Time so short it fits between the turning of an eye — a blink.

转 zhuǎn

眼 yǎn

间 jiān