瞬

瞬 is a phono-semantic compound:

目 (eye) – semantic element, indicating the action of the eyes.

舜 (sun, the legendary Emperor Shun) – phonetic element, providing the sound.

Together they express the idea of blinking the eyes and by extension, a short instant, moment.

Semantic range:

- to blink – 눈을 깜짝이다.

- instant, moment – 순간 (瞬間).

- very short duration – fleeting time.

It is the standard character for “instant, moment” across East Asian languages.

순간 (瞬間) – instant, moment.

순식간 (瞬息間) – in the blink of an eye, very short time.

순발력 (瞬發力) – instantaneous reaction or explosive power.

There are regional glyph differences in strokes between China (G), Taiwan (T), Japan (J), and Korea (K), but the structure remains the same: 目 + 舜.