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显眼 (xiǎn yǎn) — conspicuous, eye-catching

Definition

A neutral adjective for something that stands out and draws the eye (color, clothing, behavior). Less formal than 醒目, which emphasizes a strong visual design impact.

adjective
conspicuouseye-catching

Examples

  • 显眼。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu de yán sè hěn xiǎn yǎn.
    The color of this piece of clothing is very eye-catching.
  • 显眼，。
    Tā de xíng wéi tài xiǎn yǎn le, dà jiā dōu zhù yì dào tā le.
    His behavior was too conspicuous; everyone noticed him.
  • 显眼。
    Nà liàng hóng chē zài tíng chē chǎng lǐ hěn xiǎn yǎn.
    That red car is very conspicuous in the parking lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

显xiǎnshow
眼yǎneye

显 (show) and 眼 (eye) suggest something that shows itself to the eye.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 顯; 显 is its simplified writing.

  • 日日rìsun
  • 絲絲sīsilk
  • 頁頁yèperson's head

For 显, the traditional form 顯 is made of 日 (sun), 絲 (silk), and 頁 (person's head).

Open 显 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Appearance

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