Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Flash-like; gleaming: Describes a very brief, sudden, and bright appearance of light, like a flash or a sparkle.
   • Very brief; momentary: Describes an extremely short period of time, an instant.

2. Adverb:

   • In a flash; in an instant: Used to describe an action that happens with extreme speed, almost instantaneously.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Ánh đèn nhoáng lên trong đêm. (A light flashed in the night.)
  • Đó chỉ là một ý nghĩ nhoáng qua. (It was just a fleeting thought.)

• Adverb:

  • Nhoáng một cái, anh ấy đã xong việc. (In a flash, he was finished with the work.)
  • Chiếc xe nhoáng qua trước mặt tôi. (The car flashed past in front of me.)

Advanced Usage

• "chớp nhoáng": lightning-fast, instantaneous. This is a common compound.

  • Cuộc tấn công chớp nhoáng. (A lightning-fast attack.)

• Used descriptively to modify verbs of movement or appearance to emphasize extreme speed.

  • Một bóng đen nhoáng qua cửa sổ. (A dark shadow flashed past the window.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhoang nhoáng (adj): A reduplicated form emphasizing a repeated or shimmering flashing or gleaming.

  • Ánh sáng nhoang nhoáng dưới nước. (The light shimmered under the water.)

• Loáng (adj/adv): A near-synonym meaning flash, gleam, or instantly. Often used interchangeably in some contexts.

  • Loáng một cái đã xong. (It was done in an instant.)

Synonyms

• Flash: a sudden brief burst of bright light.
• Instantaneous: occurring or done in an instant.
• Fleeting: lasting for a very short time.

Related Idioms

• Chớp nhoáng: (as above) used figuratively to describe any action or event that happens with blinding speed.

  • Chiến dịch chớp nhoáng. (A blitzkrieg campaign.)

• Thoáng/nhoáng qua: to flash by, to pass fleetingly (often used for thoughts or sights).

  • Một ký ức nhoáng qua trong tâm trí cô. (A memory flashed through her mind.)

1. Flash
   • Chớp nhoáng
     There was a flash of lightning
   • Nhoáng một cái biến đâu mất
     To vanish in a flash