眉毛

• Pinyin: méi mao
• Hanzi breakdown: 眉 = 目 (eye) + 尸 (indicating brow position) — eyebrow; 毛 = pictograph of hair strands — hair, fur

Meaning

Eyebrow; the strip of hair above the eye.

Literally refers to the eyebrows. Also appears in many idiomatic expressions related to urgency (迫在眉睫 — pressing danger at the eyebrows), facial expression, and character judgement. In aesthetics, eyebrow shaping is an important part of Chinese makeup culture.

Examples

1. 她精心修剪了眉毛，配上淡妆，整个人看起来格外精神清爽。 She carefully shaped her eyebrows and paired them with light makeup, and she looked especially fresh and put-together.
2. 老人眉毛花白且浓密，眼神深邃，一看便知是饱经岁月的智者。 The old man’s eyebrows were gray and thick, and his gaze was deep—you could tell at a glance he was a wise man seasoned by time.
3. 中医认为眉毛的形态与颜色在一定程度上可以反映人体的健康状况。 Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the shape and color of the eyebrows can, to some extent, reflect a person’s health.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, beauty, medicine, idioms

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她习惯每天早上用眉笔描画眉毛，让自己的五官看起来更加立体分明。(She has the habit of drawing her eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil every morning to make her features look more defined and three-dimensional.)
• 眉毛在人的面部表情中扮演着重要角色，皱起眉毛往往传递出担忧或不悦的信号。(Eyebrows play an important role in facial expression — furrowed brows often signal worry or displeasure.)

Don't Say

• 将'眉毛'与'睫毛'混淆 — 睫毛是眼睑边缘的毛发，两者在汉语中是截然不同的词 (Don't confuse 眉毛 with 睫毛 — 睫毛 refers to eyelashes along the eyelid edge; the two are entirely distinct terms in Chinese)

Origin & History

眉 (eyebrow, from 目 eye + 尸 brow shape) + 毛 (hair, fur). Together meaning the hairs of the eyebrow.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal