‘稍纵即逝’ is a four-character idiom describing something that vanishes or slips away the moment it appears—so fleeting it cannot be grasped. Literally, it means ‘a slight release (of control or attention), and immediate disappearance’: 稍 (slight), 纵 (to let go, to relax vigilance), 即 (immediately), and 逝 (to pass away, to vanish). The idiom evokes urgency and impermanence, often used for intangible yet precious moments—like inspiration, youth, opportunity, or emotional clarity.

It functions as a descriptive adjective, typically placed before nouns (e.g., 稍纵即逝的灵感) or after verbs like 是 or 显得. Though poetic and literary, it’s common in modern written Chinese and formal speech—not colloquial, but widely understood. It carries a subtle tone of regret or reverence for transience, echoing classical Daoist and Buddhist ideas about impermanence.