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看走眼 (kàn zǒu yǎn) — to misjudge, to mistakenly evaluate or identify

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to misjudge someone or something' — literally 'to look with a wandering eye'. Used for people, character, or objects, implying the viewer was wrong about a real assessment.

verb
to misjudge, to mistakenly evaluate or identify

Examples

  • 看走眼，。
    Wǒ dāng chū zhēn shì kàn zǒu yǎn le, méi xiǎng dào tā shì zhè zhǒng rén.
    I really misjudged him back then—I never expected he would be this kind of person.
  • 看走眼，。
    Zhè cì nǐ kàn zǒu yǎn le, tā gēn běn bú shì nǐ shuō de nà zhǒng rén.
    You've misjudged this time—he's totally not the kind of person you described.
  • 看走眼，。
    Shuí dōu yǒu kàn zǒu yǎn de shí hou, bié tài zì zé.
    Everyone misjudges sometimes; don't blame yourself too much.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

看kànlook
走眼eye goes astray
走zǒugo astray眼yǎneye
动宾Verb + object

The “看” means to look and “走眼” suggests the eye going astray, hence misjudging.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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

The original shape showed a running man, with a foot added later.

Open 走 →

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
Thinking & Cognition

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