zaam2 haa5 ngaan5䁪下眼

Jyutpingzaam2 haa5 ngaan5

Yalejáam háh ngáahn

形容詞

Definition

In the blink of an eye; describing a very short amount of time.

colloquialtimedescriptions

How it's used

Focuses on the suddenness of an event, often used to express surprise at how quickly time passes or how fast something happens. It captures the fleeting nature of a moment, frequently used when reflecting on how children grow up or how opportunities vanish instantly. It functions as an adverbial phrase describing the speed of an action or transition.

Examples

keoi5佢䁪zaam2下haa5眼ngaan5就zau6唔m4見gin3咗zo2人jan4喇。

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

nei5你䁪zaam2下haa5眼，ngaan5個go3仔zai2又jau6大daai6個go3咗zo2喇。

In the blink of an eye, your son has grown up again.

Common phrases

䁪zaam2下haa5眼ngaan5就zau6過

pass in the blink of an eye

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with physical blinking, as the phrase is strictly idiomatic for time. It is not used to describe the literal act of closing and opening one's eyelids.