space between nodes; internode
Archaic term for the physical space between two nodes on bamboo or similar plants. In modern Japanese, 節間 (ふしかん) is more common.
Bamboo with long internodes is flexible and suitable for crafts.
short time; brief interval
Metaphorical extension from the physical gap between nodes to a short temporal interval. Rare and somewhat literary.
Work without wasting even a moment.
Compound of 節 (ふし, 'node') + の (possessive particle) + 間 (ま, 'space, interval'). The temporal sense is a metaphorical extension of the physical gap between bamboo nodes.