视线

• Pinyin: shì xiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 视 = 示 + 见 (to see, to observe); 线 = 纟 + 泉 (line — thread + spring, suggesting a continuous fine line)

Meaning

Line of sight; gaze; one's eyes. The imaginary line along which a person looks, or the direction in which someone's attention is directed.

Used both literally (the physical line of sight, e.g. blocked by an obstacle) and figuratively (the direction of someone's attention or focus). Common collocations: 遮挡视线 (to obstruct the line of sight), 转移视线 (to divert attention), 视线交汇 (eyes meeting), 落入视线 (to come into view), 视线范围 (field of view). In safety/traffic contexts, 视线遮挡 is a key concept. Figuratively, 转移公众视线 means to distract public attention.

Examples

1. 路口转角处一块违规设置的大型广告牌严重遮挡了来往车辆的视线，交通管理部门责令广告主限期拆除。 A large illegally installed billboard at the corner of the intersection seriously blocked drivers’ line of sight, and the traffic management department ordered the advertiser to remove it within a set time limit.
2. 两人的视线在餐厅对面的座位间不期而遇，短暂交汇后各自移开，彼此内心的悸动却在那一瞬间悄然加深。 Their eyes met unexpectedly across the restaurant; after a brief exchange they looked away, but in that instant the flutter in their hearts quietly deepened.
3. 批评者认为，此次高调的慈善捐款活动不过是一场精心策划的公关行动，意在转移公众对企业劳工丑闻的视线。 Critics argue that the high-profile charity donation event was nothing more than a carefully staged PR move meant to divert public attention from the company’s labor scandal.

Usage Guide

Context: interpersonal, traffic safety, politics, media, communication

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 演讲者在台上发言时刻意避开与听众的直接视线交流，这一习惯无形中削弱了他的说服力，使得现场气氛显得疏远而缺乏感染力。(The speaker deliberately avoided making direct eye contact with the audience while speaking on stage; this habit imperceptibly undermined his persuasiveness and gave the atmosphere of the occasion a sense of distance and lack of engagement.)
• 城市规划部门在审批沿街建筑高度时，须充分考虑建筑对行人视线的遮挡效果，以确保公共空间的开阔感和重要地标的可视性不受破坏。(When approving the height of buildings along streets, the urban planning authority must give full consideration to the effect of buildings on pedestrians' lines of sight, to ensure that the openness of public spaces and the visibility of important landmarks are not compromised.)

Don't Say

• 视线 when referring to a person's point of view or intellectual perspective — use 视角 (angle of view, perspective) or 观点 (viewpoint); 视线 specifically refers to the physical direction of one's gaze or, figuratively, the direction of public attention, not an interpretive standpoint

Origin & History

视 (to look, vision — 示 + 见) + 线 (line — 纟 silk thread + 泉 spring, phonetic)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal