一刹那

• Pinyin: yī chà nà
• Desglose de hanzi: 一 = single horizontal stroke (one); 刹 = 杀 + 刀 (kill + knife — originally a Buddhist temple/monastery, here phonetic for Sanskrit 'kṣa'); 那 = 冄 + 阝(邑) (originally a place name character, here phonetic for Sanskrit 'ṇa')

Significado

Un instante; una fracción de segundo.

More literary and dramatic than 一瞬间 or 一下子. Common in literary prose, film narration, and formal speech. 刹那 is a Buddhist loanword from Sanskrit 'kṣaṇa' (the smallest unit of time in Abhidharma philosophy), lending the phrase a philosophical undertone of impermanence.

Ejemplos

1. 就在子弹飞出枪管的一刹那，他猛地扑向掩体，仅以毫厘之差躲过了这致命的一击。
2. 舞台上的灯光骤然熄灭，在那一刹那的完全黑暗中，观众席上爆发出一片屏息的寂静。
3. 二十年后再度踏上故乡的土地，望见熟悉的老街，她的心在一刹那间被记忆与乡愁同时击中。

Guía de uso

Contexto: literature, film, philosophy, narrative

Tono: dramatic

Correcto

• 就在两列列车即将相撞的一刹那，驾驶员凭借多年积累的驾驶直觉做出了果断的紧急制动，将这场灾难化解于毫厘之间。(In the split second just before the two trains were about to collide, the driver, relying on years of accumulated driving instinct, made a decisive emergency brake, averting the disaster at the last possible moment.)
• 她在领奖台上接过奖杯的那一刹那，脑海中瞬间涌现出无数个凌晨独自训练的夜晚，泪水不由自主地夺眶而出。(In the instant she received the trophy on the podium, countless nights of solo late-night training flashed through her mind all at once, and tears welled up involuntarily.)

Incorrecto

• 在一刹那之后 — the temporal boundary of 一刹那 is by definition immediate; saying 之后 (afterwards) contradicts the word's meaning; use 刹那之后 or simply 随即/随后 if you need to describe the next moment

Origen e historia

一 (one/a single) + 刹那 (Buddhist term from Sanskrit 'kṣaṇa' — the smallest indivisible unit of time, borrowed into Chinese via Buddhist scripture translation)

Contexto cultural

Época: Buddhist/Modern

Generación: All ages

Contexto social: Universal