TongTong
Sign in

眉开眼笑 (méi kāi yǎn xiào) — beaming with joy, all smiles

Definition

A vivid chengyu meaning 'beaming with joy' — describes a momentary, visible smile (brows lift, eyes crinkle). Unlike 兴高采烈 (general excited elation), it focuses purely on the happy facial expression.

phrase
beaming with joyall smiles

Examples

  • ，眉开眼笑。
    Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, tā méi kāi yǎn xiào.
    Hearing this good news, she was all smiles.
  • ，眉开眼笑。
    Yé ye kàn dào sūn zi huí lái, méi kāi yǎn xiào dì yíng le shàng qù.
    Grandpa, beaming with joy, went up to greet his grandson when he saw him return.
  • ，眉开眼笑。
    Kǎo shì dé le mǎn fēn, tā méi kāi yǎn xiào dì pǎo huí jiā gào sù mā ma.
    He got full marks on the exam and ran home beaming with joy to tell his mom.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

眉开brows open
眉méibrows开kāiopen
主谓Subject + predicate
眼笑eyes smile
眼yǎneyes笑xiàosmile
主谓Subject + predicate

眉开 shows brows opening, and 眼笑 shows eyes smiling; together they express delight.

Characters in this word

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

眉 originally showed 𠃜, hair, above 目, an eye.

Open 眉 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
  • 廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

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 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.