zyun2 haa6 ngaan5轉下眼转下眼
Jyutpingzyun2 haa6 ngaan5
Yalejyún hah ngáahn
Definition
In the blink of an eye; after a very short time, describing how quickly time passes.
colloquialtimedaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the subjective feeling of rapid time passage or sudden change. It is frequently used to express surprise at how quickly a situation has developed or how fast someone has vanished from sight. Unlike formal expressions for time, this phrase carries a conversational, slightly dramatic tone.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a specific, measured duration like five minutes or an hour. It is strictly for emphasizing the perception of speed rather than providing a precise temporal reference.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
