📖 Meaning
Refers to the expressions and subtle cues revealed in one's eyebrows and eyes. It describes how a person's true feelings or intentions can be read from their facial demeanor, particularly around the brow and eye area.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Song dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi, recorded in 'Zhuzi Yulei' (Classified Conversations of Master Zhu), Volume 61. In the text, Zhu Xi critiques the 'xiangyuan' (a sycophantic person who appears virtuous but lacks moral backbone) as someone who sways with the wind, flattering people on all sides and carefully watching others' eyebrows and eye movements to gauge how best to please them. The idiom thus captures the act of attentively reading someone's facial expressions to curry favor.
💡 Example Usage
她善于察言观色，总能从对方的眉头眼尾看出真实想法。
She is adept at reading people and can always discern their true thoughts from the subtle expressions in their brows and eyes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 眉头眼尾
- Pinyin: méi tóu yǎn wěi
- Literal Translation: brow, head, eye, tail
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4