yí一onejiàn见seezhōng钟strikeqíng情feeling
Love at first sight.
Literal meaning
one (一) — see (见) — strike (钟) — feeling (情)
Origin
A late-imperial four-character phrase that became the standard Chinese idiom for love-at-first-sight. The image is of feeling (情) striking instantly upon a single glance (一见) — the same compressed romantic shorthand the English phrase uses. Now ubiquitous in modern Mandarin — film, song lyrics, fiction, casual conversation.
Examples
Tā他men们yí一jiàn见zhōng钟qíng情，sān三ge个yuè月hòu后jiù就jié结hūn婚le了。
It was love at first sight — they were married three months later.
Wǒ我duì对zhè这ge个chéng城shì市yí一jiàn见zhōng钟qíng情。
I fell in love with this city the moment I saw it.
Usage & nuances
Works literally about romance and metaphorically about places, products, or anything you fell for instantly. Casual register — fine in everyday conversation.
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