引人注意 (yǐn rén zhù yì) — to attract attention, to catch the eye | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A written/idiomatic way to say something 'catches people's attention'. 引人 means to draw or pull someone in, and 注意 is the noun 'attention'.

idiom

to attract attentionto catch the eye

Examples

，引人注意。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn hěn tè bié de yī fu, fēi cháng yǐn rén zhù yì.
He wore a very unusual outfit that really attracts attention.
，引人注意。
Zhè ge guǎng gào de shè jì hěn dú tè, hěn néng yǐn rén zhù yì.
The design of this advertisement is very unique and can easily attract attention.
，引人注意。
Tā zài tái shàng dà shēng shuō huà, xiǎng yǐn rén zhù yì.
She was speaking loudly on stage, trying to attract attention.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

弓弓gōngbow
丿丿piěindicatory stroke

引 is made from 弓, a bow, and 丿, a short slant stroke added at the place where the string is pulled, marking the action of drawing or pulling.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

主

主zhǔ注zhù

Same sound today

注 combines 水, meaning water, with 主, which gives the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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