眨巴 (zhǎ bā) — to blink, to wink (colloquial, dialectal)

Definition

A colloquial, onomatopoeic verb for blinking or winking — more vivid and everyday than the standard 眨 (zhǎ). Often used for repeated or noticeable blinking.

verb
to blinkto wink (colloquial, dialectal)

Examples

  • 眨巴。
    Tā jǐn zhāng dé bù tíng dì zhǎ bā yǎn jing.
    He was so nervous he kept blinking his eyes.
  • 眨巴，。
    Tā duì wǒ zhǎ bā le yí xià, hǎo xiàng yǒu huà yào shuō.
    She blinked at me as if she had something to say.
  • 眨巴，。
    Bié lǎo shì zhǎ bā yǎn jing, hǎo hǎo kàn zhe wǒ.
    Don't keep blinking your eyes—look at me properly.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

眨zhǎblink
巴bāsuffix

眨 carries the blinking action, while 巴 gives the word a colloquial, dialectal feel.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 眨 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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