窥 (kuī): to peep

Meanings

1 to peep
2 to peek
3 to spy on
4 to pry into

Characters

窥

kuī

to peep; to spy on

Examples

他偷窥邻居的隐私，被投诉了。

Tā tōukuī línjū de yǐnsī, bèi tóusù le.

He was reported for spying on his neighbor's privacy.

这本书让我们得以一窥古代宫廷生活。

Zhè běnshū ràngwǒ men déyǐ yī kuī gǔdài gōngtíng shēnghuó.

This book gives us a glimpse into ancient court life.

Tips

usage

Common compounds: 偷窥 (tōukuī, to peep/voyeur), 窥探 (kuītàn, to spy/probe), 内窥镜 (nèikuījìng, endoscope). 一窥 (yī kuī) means 'to get a glimpse of'.

Components

radical

穴 xué

cave; hole

Top cave radical, five strokes — a roof with two splayed legs, a dwelling carved into a hillside. Anchors 窥 as something done through a hole: to peep, spy through a crack. The radical sets the scene of a hidden vantage. Same family: 窗, 空, 突, 穿.

phonetic

规 guī

compass; rule (here phonetic)

Bottom 规 supplies the sound — guī drifting to kuī through a regular g/k alternation in old readings. Originally 规 pictured a man-with-compass-and-eye, meaning 'to measure, to spy out, to plan.' That seeing-component fits nicely: 窥 is 'to look secretly through an opening,' an act of measured peeking.