眼 Stroke Order — How to Write 眼

Stroke Order

眼 is written in 11 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 目, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

眼 Radical and Character Components

Components:目艮

眼 is a phono-semantic compound: 目 (eye) carries the meaning, while 艮 indicates the sound.

Radical: 目 + 6 more strokes

眼 Pronunciation and Pinyin

yǎn

Meanings of 眼 in Chinese

yǎn眼

The visual organ of humans and animals; eye.

她的眼睛很明亮，充满了好奇

Her eyes are very bright and full of curiosity.

Insight, vision, or a perspective on things, often implying foresight or discerning judgment.

她的眼光非常独到，总能发现别人忽略的细节。

Her vision is exceptionally keen, always spotting details others overlook.

A small opening, hole, or cavity, such as the eye of a needle or an outlet of a spring.

把线穿过针眼儿。

Pass the thread through the eye of the needle.

A crucial point or moment; specific wording or a particular word (as in '节骨眼儿' for a critical juncture, or '字眼儿' for wording).

在这个节骨眼上，我们必须保持冷静。

At this critical juncture, we must remain calm.

In traditional Chinese opera, 'yǎn' refers to a beat or rhythm, especially in the phrase 'yī bǎn sān yǎn' (one strong beat and three weak beats), indicating a structured and methodical tempo or approach.

他做事总是规规矩矩，一板三眼，从不出错。

He always does things by the book, very methodically and precisely, never making mistakes.

Refers to the present moment or immediate situation/interest.

眼下最重要的任务是完成这个项目。

The most important task right now is to complete this project.

A measure word, typically for wells.

村子里有一眼老井。

There is an old well in the village.

In Go, an 'eye' refers to an empty point surrounded by one's own stones, crucial for forming a living group, as the opponent cannot play in a single eye to capture.

围棋中，一个眼对于棋子来说非常重要。

In Go, an eye is very important for the stones.

Common Words and Phrases with 眼

yǎn眼bā巴bā巴

Eagerly or anxiously looking forward to something, or helplessly watching something undesirable unfold.

小猫眼巴巴地看着主人吃鱼，却什么也得不到

The kitten helplessly watched its owner eat the fish, getting nothing itself.

yǎn眼bái白

the white of the eye

他的眼白很清澈，没有一丝血丝。

The white of his eyes is very clear, without a trace of bloodshot.

yǎn眼bǐng柄

A movable stalk bearing an eye at its tip, found in decapod crustaceans.

螃蟹利用其眼柄来拓宽视野，以便更好地发现食物或躲避捕食者。

Crabs use their eyestalks to broaden their field of vision, allowing them to better spot food or evade predators.

yǎn眼bō波

fluid glance of a woman

她的眼波流转，顾盼生姿，令在场的每个人都为之倾倒。

Her eyes, with their flowing, expressive gaze, moved gracefully, captivating everyone in the room.

yǎn眼bù不jiàn见wéi为jìng净

What you don't see won't bother you; out of sight, out of mind.

与其每天盯着那些让人烦心的旧邮件，不如眼不见为净，直接把它们删除，让工作区更整洁。

Instead of staring at those bothersome old emails every day, it's better to just delete them and adopt an 'out of sight, out of mind' approach to keep the workspace tidier.

yǎn眼chà岔

to mistake one for another due to a momentary visual error; to see wrongly

我刚才眼岔了，以为你穿的是蓝色外套，原来是深绿色的。

I just misread it for a moment, thinking you were wearing a blue coat, but it turned out to be dark green.

yǎn眼chán馋

to covet; to be envious of

每次路过甜品店，看到那些精致的蛋糕，我都会忍不住眼馋

Every time I pass the dessert shop and see those exquisite cakes, I can't help but eye them with desire.

yǎn眼chéng成chuān穿

To look forward with eager expectancy.

她日日夜夜守在窗前，望得眼成穿，只盼着远行的丈夫能平安归来。

She waited by the window day and night, her eyes almost worn out from gazing, only hoping her husband on a distant journey would return safely.

yǎn眼chī眵

gum in the eyes; a yellowish substance secreted by the eyelids

他早上醒来，发现眼角有许多眼眵。

When he woke up in the morning, he found a lot of eye discharge in the corners of his eyes.

yǎn眼chóng虫

A unicellular organism, typically spindle-shaped, with chlorophyll, an eyespot, and a flagellum, often found in still water; also known as Euglena.

在显微镜下，我们可以清楚地看到眼虫如何用它的鞭毛游动

Under the microscope, we can clearly observe how the Euglena swims using its flagellum.

yǎn眼chuān穿cháng肠duàn断

To be consumed by intense longing and sorrow, feeling as if one's eyes are worn out from looking and intestines are 'broken' with grief; describes extreme yearning and eager anticipation.

自从丈夫远赴他乡打拼，她便常常倚窗遥望，眼穿肠断，只盼早日团聚。

Since her husband went far away to work, she often leans by the window, gazing into the distance with aching eyes and a broken heart, only wishing for an early reunion.

yǎn眼dǐ底

The fundus of the eye (internal structures visible through the pupil, such as the retina); or, more broadly, everything visible within one's sight or view.