基本释义
evanescent: Something that is evanescent gradually disappears from sight or memory.
Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative efforts, the joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us, if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered on to, but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.幸福并不在于单纯地占有金钱，幸福还在于取得成就后的喜悦，在于创造努力时的激情。一定不能再忘记劳动带来的喜悦和激励，而去疯狂地追逐那转瞬即逝的利益。如果这些暗淡的时日能使我们认识到，我们真正的天命不是要别人侍奉，而是为自己和同胞们服务，那么我们付出的代价就完全是值得的。
——《罗斯福就职演说》
单词 evanescent 里面的 van 部分，来自拉丁语 vanus, 意思是“空的，空虚的”。所以，在英语里包含 van/vac的单词，多与此相关：
vanity /ˈvænəti/
n. 虚荣，无价值的事物
vanish /ˈvænɪʃ/
v. 消失，突然不见
vacant /ˈveɪkənt/
adj. 空虚的，空的
v. 疏散，撤退
vacuum /ˈvækjuːm/
n. 真空，空间
前缀 e 表示“向外”，escent 是形容词后缀，表示“开始、正在、逐渐成为某种状态的”。所以，e（向外）+van（空的）+escent（形容词）=逐渐走出去，逐渐空了的→逐渐消失的
adj. Transient is used to describe a situation that lasts only a short time or is constantly changing. adj. 稍纵即逝的，短暂的
adj. If you say that something is imminent, especially something unpleasant, you mean it is almost certain to happen very soon.
