tán zhǐ zhī jiāndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) in a flash / instantly
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f6dd0a4600fa8de8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

彈指之間 弹指之间 [tan2 zhi3 zhi1 jian1] /(idiom) in a flash; instantly/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 彈指之間

  • 弹
    dàn

    crossball / bullet / shot / shell / ball

    tán

    to pluck (a string) / to play (a string instrument) / to spring or leap / to shoot (e.g. with a catapult) / (of cotton) to fluff or tease / to flick / to flip / to accuse / to impeach / elastic (of materials)

  • 指
    zhǐ

    finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to / to depend on / to count on / (of hair) to stand on end

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 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

    jiàn

    gap / to separate / to thin out (seedlings) / to sow discontent

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.