瞄准

• Pinyin: miáo zhǔn
• Hanzi breakdown: 瞄 = 目 (eye radical) + 苗 (slender) — to look through a narrow sight; 准 = 氵 (water) + 隹 (bird) — level, accurate

Meaning

To aim at; to take aim; to target. Used literally for sighting a weapon and figuratively for directing effort toward a goal, demographic, or opportunity.

The figurative use is prevalent in business (瞄准市场 — target a market), policy discourse, and sports commentary. In military and sports contexts it retains its literal meaning. The verb implies deliberate selection and focused concentration on a specific target.

Examples

1. 这家初创公司一成立便将目标瞄准了中小企业的数字化转型需求，凭借灵活的定价策略和本地化服务在竞争激烈的市场中迅速站稳脚跟。 From day one, this startup set its sights on small and mid-sized businesses’ needs for digital transformation, and quickly gained a foothold in a fiercely competitive market with flexible pricing and localized service.
2. 射击运动员在扣动扳机前，需要调节呼吸、稳定躯干，将准星精确地瞄准靶心，整个过程要求极高的专注力和身体控制能力。 Before pulling the trigger, a shooter needs to regulate their breathing, keep their torso steady, and line up the sights precisely on the bullseye—a process that demands extreme focus and bodily control.
3. 该政策精准地瞄准了农村地区教育资源不均衡的核心矛盾，通过定向补贴和师资培训双管齐下来缩小城乡之间长期存在的教育差距。 This policy precisely targets the core issue of unequal educational resources in rural areas, using both targeted subsidies and teacher training to narrow the long-standing education gap between urban and rural communities.

Usage Guide

Context: business, military, sports, policy, technology

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这支研究团队将研究课题瞄准了阿尔茨海默症的早期生物标志物检测，希望通过大规模队列研究突破现有临床诊断的局限性。(This research team has directed its focus at early biomarker detection of Alzheimer's disease, hoping to break through the limitations of current clinical diagnosis through large-scale cohort studies.)
• 篮球运动员在罚球线上深吸一口气，将视线稳稳地瞄准篮筐后沿，用多年训练培养出的肌肉记忆完成了这记关键罚球。(The basketball player took a deep breath at the free-throw line, steadily aimed his gaze at the back of the rim, and completed the critical free throw using the muscle memory developed through years of training.)

Don't Say

• 将'瞄准'用于描述随意或无明确目标的行为 — 瞄准必然含有明确的目标指向和专注集中的意涵，若仅是泛泛地'关注某领域'而非有针对性地聚焦，应改用'关注''涉及'或'面向' (Do not use 瞄准 for vague or aimless behaviour — 瞄准 necessarily implies a clear and focused target; if the meaning is merely paying broad attention to an area, use 关注, 涉及, or 面向 instead)

Origin & History

瞄 = 目 (eye radical) + 苗 (seedling/slender) — to sight narrowly like looking through a thin stalk; 准 = 氵 (water radical) + 隹 (bird) — level and accurate, like a bird perching precisely. Together: to focus the eye with precision on a target.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal