眼中钉 (yǎn zhōng dīng) — thorn in one's side; a person or thing one hates most
Definition
Literally 'a nail in the eye': a person or thing you intensely dislike and want gone. Stronger and more fixed than the everyday 讨厌 — it implies a target of collective resentment.
noun
thorn in one's sidea person or thing one hates most
Examples
- ，眼中钉。Tā zhěng tiān zài lǐng dǎo miàn qián shuō huài huà, chéng le dà jiā de yǎn zhōng dīng.He gossips in front of the boss all day, so he has become a thorn in everyone's side.
- ，眼中钉。Xīn lái de jīng lǐ tè bié tiāo ti, jiǎn zhí shì bù mén de yǎn zhōng dīng.The new manager is extremely picky — he's a real thorn in the department's side.
- ，眼中钉？Nà ge jìng zhēng duì shǒu yì zhí zài qiǎng wǒ men de kè hù, shuí bù bǎ tā dāng yǎn zhōng dīng?That competitor has been stealing our clients — who doesn't see him as a thorn in their side?
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head
The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.
眼 中 钉 pictures a nail inside the eye, so it means a hated nuisance.
Appears in
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