Chinese word

眼

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn

Meaning

  • nouneye

Example

她眨了眨眼，表示同意。tā zhǎ le zhá yǎn biǎo shì tóng yì

She blinked her eyes to show that she agreed.

Illustration for 眼 (eye)

More examples

他睁开眼睛，看了看周围。tā zhēng kāi yǎn jīng kàn le kàn zhōu wéi

He opened his eyes and looked around.

Core concept

A light-sensing body part that brings the outside world into sight.

Common phrases

  • 睁开眼睛zhēng kāi yǎn jīng

    open one's eyes

  • 用眼睛看yòng yǎn jīng kàn

    look with one's eyes

Similar words

眼睛yǎn jīng: The common body organ used to see and notice the world around a person or animal.

Definition in Chinese

指人或动物用来接受光线并感知外界的视觉器官。zhǐ rén huò dòng wù yòng lái jiē shòu guāng xiàn bìng gǎn zhī wài jiè de shì jué qì guān

Word origin

The character 眼 (yǎn, "eye") combines 目 (mù, "eye") for its meaning with 艮 (gèn, "sound cue") for its pronunciation, so its written form points to the organ used for seeing.

Usage tips

  • For the body part by itself, everyday Chinese often uses 眼睛 (yǎnjing, "eyes"), while the shorter form appears often in short words about opening, closing, or blinking.

Related words

Word lists with this word