法眼 (fǎyǎn): discerning eye

Meanings

1 discerning eye
2 expert eye
3 (Buddhism) Dharma-eye, eye that sees the truth

Characters

法

Examples

请您过过法眼，看看这幅画是不是真品。

Qǐng nín guòguo fǎyǎn, kànkan zhè fú huà shì bù shì zhēnpǐn.

Please give it your expert eye and tell me if this painting is genuine.

瞒不过他的法眼。

Mán bù guò tā de fǎyǎn.

Nothing gets past his discerning eye.

Tips

history

Originally a Buddhist term — one of the 五眼 (five eyes) in 大乘 Mahayana doctrine, the eye that sees through worldly illusion to dharmic truth. In modern usage it has secularized into "connoisseur's eye" — typically used flatteringly when asking an expert to authenticate or evaluate something: 请您过过法眼 (please run your expert eye over it).

register

Polite-formal. Common in art / antiques / collecting circles. In casual contexts, 眼力 (yǎnlì, judgment / eye for things) is more neutral.