25878
What is the idiom "in the blink of an eye" in Japanese?

I want to use it to say that two years will be over in the blink of an eye or
"before you even notice".

(For a detailed discussion and examples of the English idiom please see e.g.
[here](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/58385/in-the-blink-of-an-
eye))
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-22T23:48:36.710
25876
2015-09-13T09:10:57.617
2017-04-13T12:38:10.367
-1
10344
question
idioms
"over in the blink of an eye"?
「あっという間{ま}」 is the phrase I would suggest.

"Two years will be over in the blink of an eye." would be:

「2年{ねん}なんて、あっという間だよ。」

「2年なんて、あっという間に終{お}わるよ。」

Needless to say, 「あっという間」 literally means "while you utter 「あ」". It is a
**_very_** common and useful phrase for "in the blink of an eye".
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-22T23:55:49.307
25878
2015-07-22T23:55:49.307
25876
answer
一瞬で, 一瞬にして, etc.

Coincidentally (or not coincidentally), the 瞬 in 一瞬 means blink.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-23T01:07:50.963
25880
2015-07-23T01:07:50.963
6823
25876
answer
In addition to other great answers: I also heard the phrases with roughly the
same meaning here and there:

  * いつの間にか 「いつの間にかAがBに変わった」
  * たちまちのうちに 「たちまちのうちにAが売り切れになってしまった」 (I would appreciate if a native speaker could comment if this expression is archaic or regional, heard it Kansai)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-07T02:08:52.197
27864
2015-09-13T02:44:45.393
2015-09-13T02:44:45.393
11104
11104
25876
answer
瞬く間に（またたくまに）seems exactly the one.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-13T09:10:57.617
27976
2015-09-13T09:10:57.617
4092
25876
answer