碧眼 (bì yǎn) — blue/azure eyes (as a physical trait); metonymi… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary term for bright blue/green eyes, often used metonymically for Westerners. A fixed literary compound, not used for everyday description of eye color.

noun

blue/azure eyes (as a physical trait)metonymicallyWesterners

Examples

碧眼。
Nà ge shào nǚ yǒu yì shuāng dòng rén de bì yǎn.
That young girl has a pair of moving blue eyes.
碧眼。
Xiǎo shuō zhōng de bì yǎn rén zǒng shì chōng mǎn shén mì gǎn.
The Westerners in the novel are always full of a sense of mystery.
，碧眼。
Zài gǔ dài wén xué lǐ, bì yǎn cháng yòng lái zhǐ dài xī yù rén.
In ancient literature, 'blue eyes' is often used to refer to people from the Western Regions.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

碧bìblue-green

碧 gives the blue-green color and 眼 gives the eyes, so it means blue eyes.

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.

王石白碧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

王Written in full as玉yùjade

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碧 combines 王 (jade, written fully as 玉) and 石 (stone), with 白 giving the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

目艮眼

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.

Appears in

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