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拭目以待 (shì mù yǐ dài) — to wait and see (with anticipation); to see what develops

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'to wait and see with keen anticipation' — often used when something promising or uncertain is about to unfold. Stronger and more literary than the plain phrase 等着看.

idiom
to wait and see (with anticipation)to see what develops

Examples

  • ，拭目以待。
    Bǐ sài jié guǒ rú hé, wǒ men shì mù yǐ dài.
    As for the competition results, we'll wait and see.
  • 拭目以待。
    Zhèng fǔ duì xīn de huán bǎo zhèng cè biǎo tài shì mù yǐ dài.
    The government expressed that they would wait and see regarding the new environmental policy.
  • ，拭目以待。
    Guān yú tā de chéng nuò, dà jiā zhǐ néng shì mù yǐ dài.
    As for his promise, we can only wait and see.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺘Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
式
式shì拭⁰shì
Same sound today

拭 is built from ⺘ (hand) and 式; ⺘ is the part tied to the meaning, and 式 is the part tied to the sound.

Open 拭 →

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

目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.

Open 目 →

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

The shape came from a drawing of a person carrying something; in 以, part of that person is still visible on the right.

Open 以 →

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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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