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眨眼 (zhǎ yǎn) — to blink; to wink

Definition

Covers both blinking (unconscious) and winking (a deliberate signal). The set phrase 一眨眼 or 转眼 — not 眨眼 itself — is what means 'in the blink of an eye'.

verb
to blinkto wink

Examples

  • 眨眼，。
    Tā yì zhí zài zhǎ yǎn, yǎn jing hǎo xiàng bú tài shū fu.
    He keeps blinking — his eyes seem uncomfortable.
  • 眨眼，。
    Tā duì wǒ zhǎ yǎn le yí xià, shì yì wǒ bú yào shuō xià qù.
    She winked at me, signaling I should stop talking.
  • 眨眼，。
    Yì zhǎ yǎn de gōng fu, huǒ chē jiù kāi yuǎn le.
    In the blink of an eye, the train had already traveled far away.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

眨zhǎblink
眼yǎneye

眨 means blink and 眼 is eye, giving the sense of blinking.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 眨 →

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 7-9Body Parts

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