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靈機一動

简灵机一动 · 繁靈機一動

Mandarin · pinyin líng jī yī dòng

a bright idea suddenly occurs (idiom); to hit upon an inspiration
to be struck by a brainwave

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Characters in this entry

靈: Look up this written character
機: Look up this written character
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
動: dòng · move, happen; movement, action
灵: líng · spirit, soul; spiritual world
机: jī · desk; machine; moment
动: dòng · move, happen; movement, action

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1–1–4 · ling2 ji1 yi1 dong4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

ling4 gei1 jat1 dung6

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be struck by a brainwave; to hit upon a clever idea

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack