heoi1盱
Jyutpingheoi1
Yalehēui
Definition
To gaze in astonishment; anxious; big; or part of a place name.
colloquialbodydescriptions
How it's used
In modern Cantonese, 盱 is primarily used to describe the physical act of widening one's eyes, often due to shock, disbelief, or intense focus. It is rarely used in its literary senses of anxiety or expansion in daily speech. The pronunciation often shifts to a colloquial tone that emphasizes the suddenness of the action.
Examples
Seeing such a huge scene, he was so shocked his eyes widened.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 盱 with 睇, but 盱 specifically implies a wide-eyed, fixed, or astonished gaze rather than just looking at something. It is not a general verb for seeing.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
