青眼

Chinese

black eye
trad. (青眼)
simp. #(青眼)

Etymology

From Book of Jin's account of Ruan Ji, a poet and musician famed his eccentricity:

禮俗白眼退青眼 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
礼俗白眼退青眼 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
Jí yòu néng wéi qīngbáiyǎn, jiàn lǐsú zhī shì, yǐ báiyǎn duì zhī. Jí Jī Xǐ lái diào, Jí zuò báiyǎn, Xǐ bùyì ér tuì. Xǐ dì Kāng wén zhī, nǎi jī jiǔ xié qín zào yān, Jí dàyuè, nǎi xiàn qīngyǎn. [Pinyin]
(Ruan) Ji could either show others his eyes' dark pupils or his eyes' whites; when meeting literati of etiquettes and customs (i.e. conventionalists), he only showed them his eyes' whites. Once Ji Xi came to offer condolences, (Ruan) Ji showed his eyes' whites (to Ji Xi), (Ji) Xi was displeased and left. Hearing that, (Ji) Xi's younger brother Kang visited (Ruan Ji) bearing liquors and a zither. (Ruan) Ji was overjoyed, and welcomed him with his eyes' dark pupils.

Pronunciation


Noun

青眼

  1. (archaic) the colored portion of the eye; iris
  2. (figurative) appreciation; favorable regard

Verb

青眼

  1. (literary, figurative) to appreciate; to esteem

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of all senses): 白眼 (báiyǎn)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
あお
Grade: 1

Grade: 5
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
靑眼 (kyūjitai)
For pronunciation and definitions of 青眼 – see the following entry.
青目あおめ
[noun] blue eyes
[noun] Westerner
(This term, 青眼, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)