瞥

piē

敝 + 目

Definitions

piē (verb) to glance; to glimpse

piē (verb) to appear briefly; to flash by

Etymology

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

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 敝

About

瞥 is a phono-semantic compound formed by the eye radical 目 (eye) at the bottom, contributing the meaning related to sight, and the component 敝 (bì) above, giving the sound. The character denotes a quick, fleeting look, a momentary glimpse, often of something that vanishes or is only caught for an instant. Unlike characters for staring or observing, 瞥 stresses brevity and transience, capturing a visual event that takes just a fraction of a second. It is frequently used in literature to convey sudden discoveries or a passing glance that provides immediate perception with minimal time.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他瞥见了那只小猫。

Tā piējiàn le nà zhī xiǎo māo.

He caught a glimpse of that little cat.

我瞥了一眼窗外的风景。

Wǒ piē le yī yǎn chuāng wài de fēngjǐng.

I took a glance at the scenery outside the window.

她匆匆瞥了一下手表。

Tā cōngcōng piē le yīxià shǒubiǎo.

She quickly glanced at her watch.

在人群中，我瞥见了一个熟悉的身影。

Zài rénqún zhōng, wǒ piējiàn le yīgè shúxī de shēnyǐng.

In the crowd, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

他瞥了她一眼，然后继续看书。

Tā piē le tā yī yǎn, ránhòu jìxù kàn shū.

He glanced at her, then continued reading.

我从镜子里瞥见了自己的表情。

Wǒ cóng jìngzi lǐ piējiàn le zìjǐ de biǎoqíng.

I caught a glimpse of my own expression in the mirror.

尽管只是短暂的一瞥，但我记住了他的面孔。

Jǐnguǎn zhǐshì duǎnzàn de yī piē, dàn wǒ jìzhù le tā de miànkǒng.

Although it was just a brief glance, I remembered his face.

他从报告上抬起头，瞥了一眼正在发言的同事，随即又低下头去。

Tā cóng bàogào shàng tái qǐ tóu, piē le yī yǎn zhèngzài fāyán de tóngshì, suíjí yòu dī xià tóu qù.

He raised his head from the report, glanced at the colleague who was speaking, and then lowered his head again.

Related Characters

Component: 敝

Component: 目

瞥