刮目相看

guāmù-xiāngkàn

idiom #12,237

Meanings

1 to look at sb with new eyes
2 to have a whole new level of respect for sb

Characters

to scrape; to wipe

mutually; each other

to look; to see

Literally: 'scrape eyes and look at each other' - wipe your eyes clean to see someone anew

Examples

HSK 3

他的进步让所有人刮目相看。

Tā de jìnbù ràng suǒyǒurén guāmù-xiāngkàn.

His progress made everyone look at him with new eyes.

HSK 5

这次比赛的成绩令人刮目相看。

Zhècì bǐsài de chéngjì lìngrén guāmù-xiāngkàn.

The results of this competition were impressively eye-opening.

Tips

history

From the Three Kingdoms era: general Lü Meng (吕蒙) was an uneducated soldier who studied hard. When his colleague Lü Su saw his transformation, Lü Meng said: 'A scholar who has been away three days must be looked at with fresh eyes' (士别三日，当刮目相待).

Stroke Order

刮 guā

目 mù

相 xiāng

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