眈

dān

冘 + 目

Definitions

dān used in 眈眈[dān dān]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 冘 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 冘

About

眈 describes a fixed, intense stare or glare, often with a covetous or predatory undertone. Its structure is a phono-semantic compound: the 目 radical (mù, 'eye') on the left indicates that the meaning relates to sight, while the phonetic element 冘 (yín) on the right gives a clue to the pronunciation. In practice, 眈 is not used for ordinary looking but appears in literary and idiomatic contexts, most famously in a four-character phrase portraying a tiger glaring fiercely at its prey. This emphasizes the concentrated, unwavering, and sometimes menacing quality of the gaze.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他眈眈地看着对方。

Tā dāndān de kànzhe duìfāng.

He stared intently at the other party.

猫眈眈地盯着老鼠。

Māo dāndān de dīngzhe lǎoshǔ.

The cat stared fixedly at the mouse.

警察眈眈地监视着嫌疑人。

Jǐngchá dāndān de jiānshìzhe xiányírén.

The police intently monitored the suspect.

在黑暗中，眼睛眈眈地发光。

Zài hēi'àn zhōng, yǎnjing dāndān de fāguāng.

In the darkness, the eyes glowed intently.

他眈眈的目光让所有人感到不安。

Tā dāndān de mùguāng ràng suǒyǒu rén gǎndào bù'ān.

His intent gaze made everyone feel uneasy.

那只老虎眈眈地俯视着它的猎物。

Nà zhī lǎohǔ dāndān de fǔshìzhe tā de lièwù.

That tiger stared down intently at its prey.

尽管对方眈眈相视，他仍然保持冷静。

Jǐnguǎn duìfāng dāndān xiāng shì, tā réngrán bǎochí lěngjìng.

Despite the other party staring intently, he remained calm.

在竞争激烈的市场中，企业必须眈眈地关注对手的动态。

Zài jìngzhēng jīliè de shìchǎng zhōng, qǐyè bìxū dāndān de guānzhù duìshǒu de dòngtài.

In the highly competitive market, enterprises must intently monitor the movements of their competitors.

Related Characters

Component: 冘

Component: 目

眈