一刹那

一剎那

yíchànà

noun #18,654

Meanings

刹那 comes from the Sanskrit 'ksana' (क्षण), meaning the shortest unit of time in Buddhist philosophy.

HSK 3

一刹那间，他做出了决定。

Yíchànà jiān, tā zuòchū le juédìng.

In an instant, he made his decision.

HSK 6

美好的时光一刹那就过去了。

Měihǎo de shíguāng yíchànà jiù guòqù le.

Beautiful moments pass in the blink of an eye.

history

刹那 is a Buddhist loanword from Sanskrit 'ksana.' In Buddhist texts, one finger snap contains 65 刹那, making it an incredibly brief instant.

usage

Compare with 一瞬间 (also 'an instant'). 一刹那 sounds more literary and dramatic.

一 yī

刹 shā

那 nà