About
The character 眄 (miǎn) is a phono-semantic compound formed from the eye radical 目 (mù) and the phonetic 丏 (miǎn). The 目 component signals a visual action, and the character as a whole denotes a sidelong glance, or looking askance. In classical literature and poetry, this act of glancing obliquely is frequently used to imply a range of delicate emotions, including disdain, arrogance, quiet affection, and the careful observation of something without fully turning the head. Because it captures such a specific non-verbal cue, 眄 has remained a refined literary term, not a word of everyday conversation.
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