睁

• Pinyin: zhēng
• Hanzi breakdown: 睁 = 目 (eye) + 争 (phonetic — zhēng sound)

Meaning

To open one's eyes. The physical action of widening the eyelids to see.

A basic action verb with various extended uses: 睁眼 (open eyes), 睁开 (open wide), 睁眼瞎 (eyes open but blind — figuratively, clueless). Also used in idioms like 睁一只眼闭一只眼 (turn a blind eye).

Examples

1. 她睁大眼睛，难以置信地看着眼前发生的一切。 She opened her eyes wide, staring in disbelief at everything happening before her.
2. 病人术后慢慢睁开眼睛，第一眼看到的是守候在旁的家人。 After surgery, the patient slowly opened his eyes; the first thing he saw was his family waiting by his side.
3. 他睁着眼睛说瞎话，明明做错了还不承认。 He lies with a straight face—he clearly did something wrong, yet he still won’t admit it.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, description, idioms

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他睁着眼睛躺在床上，久久无法入睡。(He lay in bed with his eyes open, unable to fall asleep for a long time.)
• 请睁大眼睛仔细观察，不要遗漏任何细节。(Please open your eyes wide and observe carefully — don't miss any details.)

Don't Say

• 睁了门 — 睁 is only for eyes; for opening doors, use 打开 or 推开

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 目 (eye radical) + 争 (phonetic component zhēng)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal