tích tắc

Đồng hồ treo tường kêu tích tắc đều đặn.

Definition

1. Onomatopoeia / Noun:
   • Tick-tock: The sound made by a mechanical clock or watch as it operates.
   • A tick, a moment: A very short, precise unit of time, like the interval between two ticks of a clock.

Usage Examples

• Onomatopoeia / Noun:
  • Đồng hồ quả lắc kêu tích tắc đều đặn. (The pendulum clock went tick-tock rhythmically.)
  • Tôi sẽ quay lại trong một tích tắc. (I'll be back in a tick.)
  • Chỉ còn vài tích tắc nữa là hết giờ. (There are only a few moments left before time runs out.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to emphasize the swift, relentless, or precise passage of time.
  • Thời gian trôi qua từng tích tắc. (Time passes by, tick by tock.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tích (onomatopoeia): Often used alone to mean a "tick," representing the start of a short interval.
• Tắc (onomatopoeia): Often used alone to mean a "tock," representing the end of that interval.

Synonyms

• Tick-tock: The sound of a clock.
• Instant, moment, second: A very brief period.

Related Idioms

• Từng tích tắc: Moment by moment, emphasizing every single passing second.
  • Cô ấy chờ đợi từng tích tắc. (She waited moment by moment.)
• Trong tích tắc: In a flash, in an instant.
  • Mọi thứ thay đổi trong tích tắc. (Everything changed in an instant.)