TongTong
Sign in

看不顺眼 (kàn bù shùn yǎn) — to find (someone or something) unpleasant to look at; to dislike the sight of

Definition

An informal phrase meaning someone/something offends your eye — you can't stand looking at it. A near-synonym of 看不惯 (more general "can't accept"), but 看不顺眼 focuses specifically on visual dislike.

verb
to find (someone or something) unpleasant to look atto dislike the sight of

Examples

  • 看不顺眼。
    Tā duì nà ge xīn tóng shì kàn bù shùn yǎn.
    He finds that new colleague unpleasant to look at.
  • 看不顺眼。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu de shè jì ràng wǒ kàn bù shùn yǎn.
    The design of this clothes makes me dislike the look of it.
  • 看不顺眼。
    Lǎo bǎn duì nà ge fāng àn kàn bù shùn yǎn.
    The boss dislikes the look of that plan.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 順; 顺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān順shùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 順 pairs 川 (river), which gives the sound, with 頁 (head); the picture is a head in a river, following the current. The simplified 顺 is a shorthand.

Open 顺 →

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 →
Appears in
Attitudes & Opinions

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