TongTong
Sign in

眼球 (yǎn qiú) — eyeball; (figurative) attention, focus (used in 吸引眼球, 夺人眼球, etc.)

Definition

Literally 'eyeball', but most often used in set phrases like 吸引眼球 to mean 'attention' or 'eye-catching appeal' — the literal body-part sense is uncommon in everyday talk.

noun
eyeball(figurative) attentionfocus (used in 吸引眼球, 夺人眼球, etc.)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 眼球。
    Tā de yǎn qiú shòu dào le gǎn rǎn.
    His eyeball got infected.
  • 眼球。
    Zhè ge guǎng gào hěn xī yǐn yǎn qiú.
    This ad really attracts attention.
  • 眼球。
    Shè jì shī xiǎng ràng zuò pǐn gèng duó rén yǎn qiú.
    The designer wants the work to be more eye-catching.

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yǎneye
球qiúball

眼 refers to the eye and 球 a ball, together the eyeball.

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.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú球qiú
Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Open 球 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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