抢眼 (qiǎng yǎn) — eye-catching | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Adjective for something visually striking and immediately noticeable, especially clothes, colors, or styles. Lighter than 引人注目 (which often describes events or behavior) and more about appearance than 醒目 (graphic/print design).

adjective

eye-catching

Examples

抢眼。
Tā de xīn fà xíng hěn qiǎng yǎn.
Her new hairstyle is very eye-catching.
抢眼。
Zhè jiàn hóng sè wài tào zài rén qún zhōng fēi cháng qiǎng yǎn.
This red coat is very eye-catching in the crowd.
抢眼，，抢眼。
Nà piān bào dào de biāo tí hěn qiǎng yǎn, xī yǐn yǎn qiú, shí fēn qiǎng yǎn.
The headline of that report is attention-grabbing, very eye-catching.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

抢qiǎnggrab

眼yǎneye

抢 as grab and 眼 as eye combine to mean something grabs the eye, hence eye-catching.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

扌倉搶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

倉

倉cāng搶qiǎng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

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

目艮眼

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 →

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