眼珠 (yǎn zhū) — eyeball | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Colloquial word for the eyeball itself (the round organ in the eye), counted with 颗. More casual than 眼球 (yǎnqiú), the standard anatomical term.

noun

eyeball

Measure word · 颗

Examples

眼珠，。
Tā de yǎn zhū shòu shāng le, xū yào mǎ shàng qù yī yuàn.
His eyeball was injured, he needs to go to the hospital immediately.
，。
Tā yòng lì róu cuo zhe yǎn zhū, kàn qǐ lái hěn pí juàn.
She vigorously rubbed her eyeballs, looking very tired.
眼珠，。
Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de yǎn zhū, fā xiàn méi yǒu yì cháng.
The doctor examined his eyeball and found no abnormality.

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.

The eye is pictured as a bead: 眼 gives the eye and 珠 gives the bead.

Characters in this word

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

目艮眼

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.

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

𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

朱

朱zhū珠zhū

Same sound today

The left side 𤣩, a form of 玉, connects the character to jade, while the right side 朱 gives the sound.

Appears in

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