寸阴

Traditional form:

寸陰

Pinyin (reading):

cùnyīn

Definitions:

• a very brief period of time (lit. the time it takes for a shadow to move an inch)

Characters:

• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 阴 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret

Traditional characters:

• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 陰 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret