使眼色

shǐyǎnsè
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 to give someone a meaningful look
  2. 2 to wink at someone (as a signal)
  3. 3 to signal with the eyes

Examples

HSK 7-9
Māma shǐ le ge yǎnsè, jiào wǒ bié zài shuōhuà.
Mom shot me a look telling me not to say anything more.
HSK 7-9
Tāliǎ zài fànzhuō shàng hùxiāng shǐ yǎnsè, bùzhīdào zài dǎ shénme zhǔyi.
The two of them kept exchanging looks at the dinner table - who knows what they were plotting.

Tips

usage
Note the verb-object structure: you can split it with a measure word - 使了个眼色 'gave (someone) a look'. Unlike English 'wink', it's not necessarily one eye - it just means 'communicate silently with a glance'.

Stroke Order

使 shǐ
yǎn