灵机一动
- Literal
- the spring of wit moves once
- Figurative
- To be struck by a sudden bright idea, often just in time to get out of a tight spot; it has a positive ring.
Where does 灵机一动 come from?
It does not come from a specific anecdote: the image lies in its characters. 灵 means "nimble, alert, inspired" and 机 "mechanism, spring," so 灵机 is the spring of wit, the spark that sets the mind going. 一动 says it moves all at once, in an instant. The whole describes the moment when, without looking for it, the solution appears. It is very common when recounting something that happened, with the idea as the turning point: "我灵机一动，想到一个办法." It usually sounds admiring, or at least neutral: it credits the quick thinking of someone who gets out of a fix.
How is 灵机一动 used? Two examples
- 钥匙锁在屋里了，我灵机一动，从阳台没关的窗户爬了进去。
My keys were locked inside, but I thought fast and climbed in through the balcony window, which had been left open.
- 广告预算不够，她灵机一动，请员工自己拍短视频。
The ad budget fell short, so she had a brainwave: get the staff to shoot short videos themselves.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
