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目光短浅 (mù guāng duǎn qiǎn) — (v.p.) short-sighted; lacking foresight; myopic (figuratively)

Definition

A figurative expression meaning 'short-sighted' — describes a person or organization that focuses only on immediate gain and fails to consider long-term consequences.

verb
(v.p.) short-sightedlacking foresightmyopic (figuratively)

Examples

  • 目光短浅，。
    Tā zuò jué cè zǒng shì mù guāng duǎn qiǎn, zhī kàn yǎn qián lì yì.
    He always makes short-sighted decisions, only looking at immediate benefits.
  • 目光短浅。
    mù guāng duǎn qiǎn De rén wǎng wǎng kàn bú dào cháng yuǎn de hòu guǒ.
    Short-sighted people often cannot see the long-term consequences.
  • 目光短浅，。
    Gōng sī rú guǒ mù guāng duǎn qiǎn, jiù nán yǐ chí xù fā zhǎn.
    If a company is short-sighted, it will find it hard to sustain development.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

目光sight
目mùeye光guānglight
偏正Modifier + head
短浅short and shallow
短duǎnshort浅qiǎnshallow
联合Coordinate

The meaning comes from 目光 being 短浅, i.e. sight that is short and shallow, hence lacking foresight.

Characters in this word

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

目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.

Open 目 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu短duǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

Open 短 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 淺; 浅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān淺qiǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 淺 pairs 氵 (water) with 戔 to give the sound; 浅 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 浅 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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