DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–1–4 · ling2 ji1 yi1 dong4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

靈機一動 · find source passages ↗ · 灵机一动 · find source passages ↗

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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

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