Chinese word

眼看

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn kàn

Meaning

  • adverbsoon

Example

眼看就要开始了。yǎn kàn jiù yào kāi shǐ le

It is about to start.

Illustration for 眼看 (soon)

More examples

眼看就要结束了，他还是没有准备好。yǎn kàn jiù yào jié shù le tā hái shì méi yǒu zhǔn bèi hǎo

It is about to end, but he still is not ready.

Core concept

An event comes into clear view as nearly here, so its arrival feels imminent and immediate.

Common phrases

  • 眼看就要结束yǎn kàn jiù yào jié shù

    be about to end

  • 眼看就快yǎn kàn jiù kuài

    be just about

Similar words

马上mǎ shàng: Used for something that happens immediately or within a very short time.
就要jiù yào: Used when something is certain to happen soon, especially when it is about to begin.
即将jí jiāng: Used mainly in writing to say that something will happen soon.

Definition in Chinese

表示从当前或眼前迹象判断某事即将发生，带有临近或紧迫的语气。biǎo shì cóng dāng qián huò yǎn qián jì xiàng pàn duàn mǒu shì jí jiāng fā shēng dài yǒu lín jìn huò jǐn pò de yǔ qì

Word origin

The literal pairing 眼 (yǎn, "eye") + 看 (kàn, "look") shifts from the act of watching to judging from visible circumstances that something is about to occur.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, this word helps narrate a developing situation, so it sounds more immediate than a calm prediction about the future.

Other meanings

  • right awayadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word