eagerly awaiting; helplessly watching
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesstative
eagerly awaiting; anxiously longing for
Often used with verbs like 等 (wait), 望 (gaze), or 盼 (hope). Can take 地 to form an adverbial phrase or 的 when acting as a predicate.
Hái孩
zi子
men们
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
děng地
zhe等
guò着
nián过
年
。
The children are eagerly waiting for the New Year to arrive.
Dà大
jiā家
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
děng地
zhe等
tā着
huí他
lái回
来
。
Everyone waited anxiously for him to return.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
dì地
wàng望
zhe着
yuǎn远
fāng方
，
pàn盼
wàng望
fù父
mǔ母
guī归
lái来
。
He gazed longingly into the distance, hoping for his parents to return.
stative
helplessly watching; unable to intervene while observing
Conveys a strong sense of powerlessness and frustration when observing an undesirable event unfold. Similar to 眼睁睁 but often implies a more emotional, anxious helplessness.
Tā他
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
dì地
kàn看
zhe着
lǎo老
yīng鹰
bǎ把
xiǎo小
jī鸡
zhuā抓
zǒu走
le了
。
He watched helplessly as the hawk snatched away the chick.
Wǒ我
men们
zhǐ只
néng能
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
dì地
kàn看
zhe着
fáng房
zi子
bèi被
hóng洪
shuǐ水
chōng冲
zǒu走
。
We could only watch helplessly as the house was washed away by the flood.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
yǎn眼
bā巴
bā巴
dì地
kàn看
zhe着
jī机
huì会
cóng从
shǒu手
zhōng中
liū溜
zǒu走
。
He watched helplessly as the opportunity slipped through his fingers.