一阵

• Pinyin: yī zhèn
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one (a single); 阵 = 阜 + 车 (mound/earthwork + chariot — military formation, extended to a concentrated burst or spell)

Meaning

A burst of; a spell of; a bout of. Describes a brief, concentrated occurrence of sound, sensation, activity, or emotion.

Functions as a measure word phrase before nouns or verbs to indicate a short, intense episode. Common collocations: 一阵风 (a gust of wind), 一阵掌声 (a burst of applause), 一阵慌乱 (a spell of confusion). Often conveys suddenness and brevity.

Examples

1. 演讲结束后，台下响起了一阵热烈的掌声，持续了将近一分钟才逐渐平息。 When the speech ended, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience and lasted almost a minute before gradually dying down.
2. 山谷中忽然刮起一阵狂风，将帐篷的门帘掀开，夜间的寒气瞬间涌入。 A sudden gust of fierce wind swept through the valley, flipping up the tent flap and letting the night’s cold rush in at once.
3. 听到这个消息，她心里涌起一阵莫名的酸楚，努力克制着情绪才没有当场落泪。 Hearing the news, she felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of sadness and had to fight to keep her emotions in check so she wouldn’t cry on the spot.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, description, daily life, literary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 审讯室里陷入了一阵令人窒息的沉默，嫌疑人低垂着头，手指在桌面上轻轻敲击，侦查员则静静地等待着对方开口。(The interrogation room fell into a suffocating spell of silence; the suspect hung his head, fingers tapping lightly on the table, while the investigator waited quietly for him to speak.)
• 登山队员们在抵达海拔四千米营地后，普遍经历了一阵头痛与轻微恶心，队医建议众人休息六小时以充分适应高原气候。(After reaching the camp at 4,000 metres altitude, the mountaineers generally experienced a bout of headaches and mild nausea; the team doctor advised everyone to rest for six hours to fully acclimatise to the plateau conditions.)

Don't Say

• 他一阵地哭了很久 — 一阵 implies brevity; pairing it with 很久 is contradictory; use 哭了很久 or 哭了好一会儿 for prolonged crying

Origin & History

一 (one/a) + 阵 (a spell/bout — 阜 mound + 车 chariot, originally referring to battle formations, extended to brief concentrated occurrences)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal