liếc mắt
Definition
- Verb:
- To glance, to look quickly: "liếc mắt" means to move the eyes quickly to look at something or someone, often in a brief, furtive, or sidelong manner.
- To give a sidelong look: It can imply looking at something indirectly, often with a specific intention or emotion, such as curiosity, disdain, or flirtation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cô ấy liếc mắt nhìn đồng hồ. (She glanced at the clock.)
- Anh ta liếc mắt về phía tôi một cách khó hiểu. (He gave me a puzzling sidelong look.)
- Đừng liếc mắt nhìn bài của bạn. (Don't glance at your friend's test paper.)
Advanced Usage
"liếc mắt đưa tình": to give a flirtatious glance, to make eyes at someone.
- Trong bộ phim, nhân vật chính thường liếc mắt đưa tình. (In the movie, the main character often gives flirtatious glances.)
"liếc mắt coi thường": to glance with contempt, to look down upon with a glance.
- Anh ấy chỉ liếc mắt coi thường rồi bỏ đi. (He just glanced with contempt and walked away.)
Variants and Related Words
Liếc (verb): to glance. This is the core verb; "liếc mắt" is a more descriptive phrase emphasizing the action of the eyes.
- Cậu bé liếc nhìn chiếc bánh. (The boy glanced at the cake.)
Nhìn lén (verb phrase): to peek, to steal a glance. This emphasizes the secretive nature of the look.
- Tôi nhìn lén cô ấy qua khe cửa. (I peeked at her through the door crack.)
Synonyms
- Nhìn thoáng qua: to take a quick look.
- Nhìn trộm: to look stealthily.
- Nhìn nghiêng: to look sideways.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
Note: As "liếc mắt" is a verb phrase itself, it doesn't combine with other particles to form distinct phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. Its meaning is modified by following adverbs or objects.
Related Idioms
- Liếc mắt là biết: (lit. to glance and know) to understand or realize something immediately with just a quick look.
- Một người thợ lành nghề liếc mắt là biết đồ thật hay giả. (A skilled craftsman can tell real from fake with just a glance.)