说时迟，那时快

说时迟，那时快

Literally means:

at a snap of the fingers

Actually means:

quicker than words can tell

说时迟, words are slower than action; 那时快, it happens quickly.

This phrase means that something happens or is done in a very short period of time. This is a cliche in traditional Chinese novels to describe something that happens faster than the author can tell.

说时迟，记述的速度相对较慢;那时快，当时发生的事情速度很快。

说时迟，那时快，形容事情或事件是在极短的时间内迅速发生或完成的。这是旧时的小说常用的一句套话，用来说明在故事中，事件发生的速度比作者记述的速度快多了。