针眼 (zhēn yǎn) — eye of a needle; pinprick (tiny hole); stye (on the eyelid)
Definition
Literally 'needle eye,' 针眼 covers three meanings: the eye of a needle, a tiny pinprick hole, and a stye on the eyelid. The third sense (stye) is a common colloquial use that English speakers won't guess from the literal translation.
noun
eye of a needlepinprick (tiny hole)stye (on the eyelid)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 针眼，。Zhè gēn zhēn de zhēn yǎn tài xiǎo le, xiàn chuān bú guò qù.The eye of this needle is too small; the thread can't go through.
- 针眼。Zhǐ shàng yǒu yí gè zhēn yǎn dà de dòng.There is a hole as small as a pinprick on the paper.
- 针眼，。Tā cháng le zhēn yǎn, suǒ yǐ yǎn jing zhǒng le.He got a stye, so his eye is swollen.
Appears in
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