📖 Meaning
This idiom describes something that is extremely close, as near as the space between one's eyebrows and eyelashes. It emphasizes that a thing, person, or opportunity is right in front of someone, often so close that it is easily overlooked.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Daoist classic 《列子》 (Book of Master Lie), in the chapter 《仲尼》, attributed to Liezi (Lie Yukou) of the Warring States period. In a passage in which Confucius reflects on the nature of change and perception, the text contrasts the vast and the minute, stating that what is far lies beyond the eight wildernesses while what is near is 'within one's eyebrows and eyelashes.' The contrast served to show that the Dao is present both in the boundlessly distant and in the most immediate, intimate range of perception. Over time the phrase was lifted from this philosophical context and used simply to describe anything very close at hand.
💡 Example Usage
机会就在眉睫之内，他却迟迟不肯伸手。
The opportunity was right before his eyes, yet he kept hesitating to reach out for it.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 眉睫之内
- Pinyin: méi jié zhī nèi
- Literal Translation: eyebrows, eyelashes, within
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4