眼睛
/jɛn²¹⁴ d͡ʑ̥iŋ⁴/
The English phrase "eyes" is translated into Chinese as 眼睛.
眼睛 is used in both formal and informal contexts. If you need to be more specific, the anatomical term for "eyeball" is 眼球, while the term 目光 refers to one's "gaze" or "sight" and is used to describe the expressive nature of someone's eyes.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a pair of eyes, it is common to use the measure word 双 before 眼睛.
How do you pronounce it?
/jɛn²¹⁴ dʑ̥iŋ⁴/
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the 眼睛 are considered the 'windows' to the liver, and changes in the eyes are often used to diagnose liver health.
- The term 眼色 literally means 'eye color' but is actually used to describe a subtle facial signal or a 'knowing look' shared between people.
- The term 眼 can also function as a noun meaning an 'opening' or a 'hole' in objects, such as the eye of a needle or a hole in a sieve. This is a common way the word extends beyond biology.
Examples in context
- 我的眼睛疼。My eyes hurt.Tatoeba #12278115 by FishlandicFishy, translation #417801 by CK
- 她有双蓝眼睛。She has blue eyes.Tatoeba #2672796 by iMaple, translation #472087 by CK
- 他們閉上眼睛。They closed their eyes.Tatoeba #5958730 by verdastelo9604, translation #3431332 by CK
- 要多注意眼睛的保护Pay attention to eye care.
- 98 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei is helping Yuting take a photo.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，我的眼睛睜開了嗎？Wěi, wǒ de yǎnjing zhēng kāi le ma?Wei, are my eyes open?
- 伟 Wei睜開了，你的眼睛很有神。Zhēng kāi le, nǐ de yǎnjing hěn yǒu shén.They are open, your eyes look very bright.
- 雨婷 Yuting真的嗎？謝謝你。Zhēn de ma? Xièxie nǐ.Really? Thank you.
- 伟 Wei不客氣，這張照片很漂亮。Bú kèqi, zhè zhāng zhàopiàn hěn piàoliang.You're welcome, this photo is beautiful.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 眼睛, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
