炯炯有神 (jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén) — (of eyes) bright and piercing; gleaming with spirit

Definition

Idiom describing bright, alert, spirited eyes — focuses on the lively, piercing gaze itself (e.g. 目光炯炯有神), not the person.

idiom
(of eyes) bright and piercinggleaming with spirit

Examples

  • ，炯炯有神，。
    Lǎo xiān sheng suī rán nián jì dà le, dàn shuāng mù jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén, jīng shén hěn hǎo.
    Although the old gentleman is advanced in age, his eyes are bright and piercing, and he is very energetic.
  • 炯炯有神，。
    Nà wèi nián qīng de huà jiā mù guāng jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén, chōng mǎn le chuàng zuò de jī qíng.
    That young painter's eyes are bright and piercing, full of creative passion.
  • 炯炯有神，。
    Zhào piàn shàng de hái zi yǎn jing jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén, xiǎn de tè bié cōng ming kě ài.
    The child in the photo has bright, piercing eyes and looks especially clever and cute.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

炯炯bright
炯jiǒngbright炯jiǒngbright
重叠Reduplication
有神have spirit
有yǒuhave神shénspirit
动宾Verb + object

炯炯 means bright and 有神 means full of spirit, so the eyes are bright and spirited.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 炯 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 炯 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

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