snap fingers; a split second
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to snap one's fingers; (figurative) an instant, a split second
literaryLiterally refers to the action of snapping one's fingers. In Buddhist tradition, this action symbolizes the shortest unit of time (about 1/75th of a second). In modern usage, it appears almost exclusively in set phrases like 弹指之间 to describe how quickly time passes.
Tán弹
zhǐ指
zhī之
jiān间
，
shí十
nián年
yǐ已
jīng经
guò过
qù去
le了
。
In the blink of an eye, ten years have already passed.
Suì岁
yuè月
rú如
suō梭
，
tán弹
zhǐ指
yī一
huī挥
jiān间
，
wǒ我
men们
dōu都
lǎo老
le了
。
Time flies like a shuttle; with a snap of the fingers, we have all grown old.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Fó佛
jiào教
zhōng中
，
tán弹
zhǐ指
biǎo表
shì示
jí极
duǎn短
de的
shí时
jiān间
dān单
wèi位
。
In Buddhism, a finger-snap represents an extremely short unit of time.