双眼皮 (shuāng yǎn pí) — double eyelid (a crease on the upper eyelid)

Definition

Refers to an upper eyelid with a visible crease (a 'double eyelid'). Often contrasted with 单眼皮, which has no crease and is called a 'single eyelid'.

noun
double eyelid (a crease on the upper eyelid)
Measure word · 层

Examples

  • 双眼皮，。
    Tā zuò le shuāng yǎn pí shǒu shù, yǎn jing kàn qǐ lái gèng dà le.
    She got double eyelid surgery, and her eyes look bigger.
  • 双眼皮。
    Hěn duō rén jué de shuāng yǎn pí bǐ dān yǎn pí gèng jīng shén.
    Many people think double eyelids look more alert than single eyelids.
  • 双眼皮，。
    Tā tiān shēng jiù shì shuāng yǎn pí, bú yòng huà zhuāng yě hěn hǎo kàn.
    He naturally has double eyelids and looks good without makeup.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

双shuāngdouble
眼皮eyelid
眼yǎneye皮pískin
偏正Modifier + head

双 means double, and 眼皮 is the eyelid, so the whole names a double eyelid.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

双 is made of two 又 parts side by side. Repeating 又 gives the sense of a pair.

Open 双 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

Open 皮 →

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