乍
zhà
at first
suddenly; abruptly; to spread; (of hair) to stand on end; bristling
a picture of 乍 → a sudden, sharp opening movement
乍 originally depicted a garment being cut or opened up — something sudden and sharp. That sense of abrupt change carried over into its modern meanings of 'at first' or 'suddenly,' as if something shifts all at once.
他乍一看，以为那是一只猫。
tā zhà yī kàn, yǐ wéi nà shì yī zhī māo。
at first glance, he thought it was a cat.
听到那个声音，她的头发都乍起来了。
tīng dào nà ge shēng yīn, tā de tóu fa dōu zhà qǐ lái le。
hearing that sound, all her hair stood on end.
Words with 乍
一惊一乍
yī jīng yī zhà
frightened
乍得
zhà dé
Chad
乍得湖
zhà dé hú
Lake Chad
乍暖还寒
zhà nuǎn huán hán
(idiom) (of early spring weather) alternating between warm and cold
乍浦
zhà pǔ
Zhapu, a town and port on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang, historically significant as a trading point and military location
乍现
zhà xiàn
to appear suddenly
乍看
zhà kàn
at first glance
乍青乍白
zhà qīng zhà bái
(of sb's face) turning alternately green and white
初来乍到
chū lái zhà dào
to be a newcomer
新来乍到
xīn lái zhà dào
newly arrived (idiom)
春光乍泄
chūn guāng zhà xiè
spring sunshine emerges to bring the world alive (idiom)
猛乍
měng zhà
suddenly