俯仰之间 in the blink of an eye
Explanation
形容时间非常短，一眨眼之间。
Describes a very short period of time, in a blink of an eye.
Origin Story
话说唐朝有个书生叫李白，他从小就聪明好学，立志要考取功名。有一天，他正埋头苦读，突然听到门外有人高声叫喊：“状元及第！状元及第！”李白心想，这可是天大的好消息啊！他放下书本，飞奔出门。来到街上，只见人山人海，锣鼓喧天，好不热闹。他挤进人群，想看看这位状元郎是何方神圣。只见一个年轻的书生，身穿红袍，意气风发，骑在高头大马上，意气风发。李白看着看着，心头百感交集。他知道，自己也渴望有朝一日，能够像这位状元郎一样，金榜题名，光宗耀祖。但他深知，想要实现这个愿望，还有很长的一段路要走，需要付出艰辛的努力。于是，他默默地回到书房，继续读书。俯仰之间，他的人生目标依然不变：努力学习，考取功名。
It is said that there was a scholar named Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty, who was intelligent and studious since childhood and aspired to pass the imperial examination. One day, while he was engrossed in his studies, he suddenly heard someone shouting loudly outside the door: "The top scholar has been selected! The top scholar has been selected!" Li Bai thought to himself, this was great news! He put down his books and rushed out. When he arrived on the street, he saw a sea of people, with gongs and drums resounding, a lively atmosphere. He squeezed through the crowd, wanting to see who this top scholar was. He saw a young scholar, dressed in red robes, full of energy, riding a tall horse. Li Bai watched and felt a thousand different emotions in his heart. He knew that he also longed to one day achieve his goal of passing the imperial examination, bringing glory to his ancestors. But he also knew that to achieve this wish, he still had a long way to go, requiring arduous efforts. So, he silently returned to his study and continued reading. In a blink of an eye, however, his life goal remained unchanged: to study hard and pass the imperial examination.
Usage
常用来形容时间短促。
Often used to describe a short period of time.
Examples
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事情来得太快，真是俯仰之间。
shì qing lái de tài kuài, zhēn shì fǔ yǎng zhī jiān
Things came so fast, it was just a moment.
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他的人生经历了巨变，俯仰之间，沧海桑田。
tā de rén shēng jīng lì le jù biàn, fǔ yǎng zhī jiān, cāng hǎi sāng tián
His life went through a huge change, in a blink of an eye, everything changed, like a dream.