瞇 (mī) - to squint & to narrow one's eyes

瞇Tone 1

mī ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

伦妙

瞇 · mī

to squint;

to narrow one's eyes;

to take a nap (colloquial).

to squintto narrow one's eyesto take a nap (colloquial).

Usage highlights

squint eyestake a short napnarrow eyes and smilesquint atsquinting expressionsquint sleepily

Synonyms

  • 眯— to squint; to narrow one's eyes (variant form)

Antonyms

  • 瞪— to stare wide-eyed

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He squinted in the bright sunlight (他在阳光下瞇起眼睛).
  • Grandma is taking a nap (奶奶在瞇一会儿).
  • She smiled with her eyes narrowed (她瞇着眼睛笑).

Collocations

  • squint eyes(瞇眼)
  • take a short nap(瞇一下)
  • narrow eyes and smile(瞇眼笑)
  • squint at(瞇着眼看)
  • squinting expression(瞇瞇眼)
  • squint sleepily(瞇瞪)

Idioms

  • Smiling with narrowed eyes(瞇瞇笑)
  • Squinting and hard to see(瞇瞇糊糊)
  • Eyes narrowed into a line(瞇成一条缝)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character depicts the physical action of narrowing one's eyes, often associated with smiling, bright light, or sleepiness.
  • In Chinese culture, squinting while smiling is often perceived as a friendly, kind, or contented expression.
  • The colloquial usage for napping reflects the relaxed state of having one's eyes partially or fully closed.

FAQ