眉目传情 (méi mù chuán qíng) — to exchange flirtatious glances; to make eyes at each other

Definition

Literary chengyu for exchanging flirtatious glances — eyes doing the talking. Used for romantic or amorous eye contact, stronger and more poetic than casual 'making eyes'.

idiom
to exchange flirtatious glancesto make eyes at each other

Examples

  • 眉目传情，。
    Tā men zài wǎn huì shàng méi mù chuán qíng, hěn kuài jiù chéng le liàn rén.
    They exchanged flirtatious glances at the party and soon became lovers.
  • 眉目传情，。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ tā men chū cì jiàn miàn jiù méi mù chuán qíng, qíng jié hěn làng màn.
    In the novel, they made eyes at each other on first meeting; the plot is very romantic.
  • 眉目传情，。
    Zhè duì qíng lǚ zài kā fēi guǎn lǐ méi mù chuán qíng, xìng fú dé ràng rén xiàn mù.
    This couple was making eyes at each other in the café, looking so happy that others envied them.

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.

眉目brows and eyes
眉méibrows目mùeyes
联合Side by side
传情convey feelings
传chuánconvey情qíngfeelings
动宾Verb + object

眉目 means brows and eyes and 传情 means convey feelings, so looks carry emotion.

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 →

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 →

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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