眨

zhǎ

乏 + 目

HSK 2.0Level 6

Definitions

zhǎ (verb) to blink; to wink

Etymology

Two eyes, one open 目 and one shut 乏

About

眨 is a phono-semantic compound that denotes a blink or wink. The left side is the semantic radical 目 (eye), establishing the connection to vision. The right side 乏 supplies the pronunciation and, helpfully, resembles a shut eye when paired with 目, creating a picture of one eye open and one closed, a direct representation of the action. The character's meaning has remained fixed on the rapid closing and opening of eyelids, and it frequently appears in phrases that convey an extremely brief moment, like the blink of an eye.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我眨了眨眼。

Wǒ zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn.

I blinked.

小狗眨了眨眼。

Xiǎo gǒu zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn.

The puppy blinked.

她对我眨了眨眼。

Tā duì wǒ zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn.

She winked at me.

星星在夜空中眨眼。

Xīngxing zài yèkōng zhōng zhǎ yǎn.

Stars are twinkling in the night sky.

他不停地眨眼，好像眼睛里进了沙子。

Tā bù tíng de zhǎ yǎn, hǎoxiàng yǎnjīng lǐ jìnle shāzi.

He kept blinking, as if sand got into his eyes.

小女孩眨了眨眼，然后开始哭起来。

Xiǎo nǚhái zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn, ránhòu kāishǐ kū qǐlái.

The little girl blinked, and then started to cry.

在强光下，人们会不自觉地眨眼。

Zài qiángguāng xià, rénmen huì bù zìjué de zhǎ yǎn.

Under strong light, people will blink involuntarily.

他眨了眨眼，试图理解这个复杂的问题。

Tā zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn, shìtú lǐjiě zhège fùzá de wèntí.

He blinked, trying to understand this complex problem.

Related Characters

Component: 乏

Component: 目

眨