眼巴巴 (yǎn bā bā) — (stative adverb) anxiously waiting for something (with a sense of helplessness); (stative adverb) watching helplessly, unable to intervene

Definition

A vivid stative adverb meaning 'waiting/watching helplessly,' with a hint of eagerness or powerlessness. Only used before a verb with 地, never as a stand-alone adjective.

bound form
(stative adverb) anxiously waiting for something (with a sense of helplessness)(stative adverb) watching helplesslyunable to intervene

Examples

  • 眼巴巴。
    Hái zi men yǎn bā bā dì děng zhe mā ma dài lǐ wù huí lái.
    The children were waiting anxiously for their mother to bring back gifts.
  • 眼巴巴。
    Tā yǎn bā bā dì kàn zhe zuì hòu yì bān chē kāi zǒu.
    He watched helplessly as the last bus drove away.
  • 眼巴巴。
    Pín kùn dì qū de rén men yǎn bā bā dì pàn wàng zhe yuán zhù de dào lái.
    People in impoverished areas eagerly looked forward to the arrival of aid.

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.

眼yǎneye
巴巴
巴bā巴bā
重叠Reduplication

眼 suggests the eyes, and the repeated 巴巴 gives a fixed, helpless stare.

Characters in this word

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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