睐 (lài) — to look askance at; to give a sidelong glance (literary, bound form)
Definition
睐 is a literary, bound form almost always seen as 青睐, meaning to favor or show a preference (often a glance of approval). On its own it means to glance sideways; outside of 青睐 it is rarely used.
bound form
to look askance atto give a sidelong glance (literary, bound form)
Examples
- 睐。Tā duì wǒ de jiàn yì zhǐ shì xié lài le yì yǎn.He just gave a sidelong glance at my suggestion.
- 睐，。Tā xié lài le wǒ yì yǎn, shén me dōu méi shuō.She gave me a sidelong glance and said nothing.
- 睐。Zhòng rén jiē yǐ bú xiè de mù guāng xié lài zhe wǒ.Everyone looked at me sideways with disdain.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 睞; 睐 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
來
來lái睞lài
Same sound today
The traditional form 睞 pairs 目, meaning eye, with 來 for its sound; the simplified 睐 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.
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