闪烁 shǎnshuò to glisten
to glisten; to glitter; to twinkle; to flicker; to be evasive; to equivocate
How to remember 闪烁: 闪 flash + 烁 to sparkle = to glisten.
Characters
How it is used
- 'To flicker, twinkle, glimmer' - of light - 星光闪烁 (xīngguāng shǎnshuò) stars twinkling; 灯光闪烁 (dēngguāng shǎnshuò) flickering lights.
- Also figurative and negative: 闪烁其词 (shǎnshuò-qící) = to speak evasively, be vague/equivocal.
- Compare 闪耀 (shǎnyào, shine brightly/radiate); 闪烁 implies an unsteady, on-off flickering.
Example sentences
- 无数星星在天上闪烁。 Wúshù xīngxīng zài tiānshàng shǎnshuò.Countless stars were twinkling in the sky.