zaai6眥眦
Jyutpingzaai6
Yalejaaih
Definition
Corner of the eye, eye socket, or to stare with anger.
- corner of the eye; eye socket
- to stare angrily at someone
writtenbodydescriptions
How it's used
Literary in origin, this character is rarely used in modern spoken Cantonese outside of specific idioms or formal descriptions. It is mostly encountered in written texts or when describing someone staring with intense anger or hatred. In everyday speech, people prefer using 眼角 for the corner of the eye.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common verb, but it is highly formal and mostly restricted to literary contexts or set phrases like 怒目而眥. Using it in casual conversation will sound unnatural or overly dramatic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
