目不转睛

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: mù bù zhuǎn jīng
• English Translation: To be captivated, to gaze without blinking, to keep one's eyes fixed, to stare intently
• Idiom Composition: 「目」（Eye）＋「不」（Not）＋「转」（To turn）＋「睛」（Pupil (of the eye)）
• Meaning: Describes the state of staring fixedly at a point without diverting one's gaze. It indicates being strongly attracted to the object and having complete concentration.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「目不转睛」 contains the following nuances:

• Intense concentration: Expresses an extremely high level of focus on the object.
• Strong interest and attention: Indicates strong interest, fascination, or attraction towards the object.
• Unconscious focus: Often describes a state where the gaze is drawn unconsciously rather than consciously fixed.
• Sustained attention: Implies maintaining the gaze steadily for a certain period of time.

3. Usage

「目不转睛」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Focus on visual objects: Used for visually captivating things such as beautiful scenery, artworks, or attractive people.
  • Example:「孩子们目不转睛地看着魔术师的表演，生怕错过任何一个细节。」
    （The children watched the magician's performance without blinking, afraid to miss any detail.）
• Watching important moments: Also used when observing critical moments such as the progress of a match or a surgery.
  • Example:「他目不转睛地盯着棋盘，试图找出对手的破绽。」
    （He is staring intently at the chessboard, trying to find his opponent's weakness.）
• Heightened emotions: Sometimes used to emphasize strong emotions such as surprise, fear, or anticipation.
  • Example:「她目不转睛地看着窗外的雨景，仿佛在思考着什么。」
    （She stared intently at the rain outside the window, as if deep in thought.）

Additional Examples:

1. 他目不转睛地盯着电脑屏幕，完全没注意到我进来。
   （He was staring fixedly at the computer screen and didn't notice me entering the room at all.）
2. 演讲者精彩的发言让在场的听众目不转睛，掌声不断。
   （The speaker's brilliant speech captivated the audience, who watched with rapt attention, applauding continuously.）
3. 面对这幅名画，他目不转睛地欣赏了很久。
   （Facing this famous painting, he admired it without taking his eyes off it for a long time.）
4. 比赛进入了白热化阶段，观众们都目不转睛地盯着赛场。
   （As the match entered a heated phase, the spectators all watched the arena without blinking.）
5. 小猫目不转睛地盯着鱼缸里的金鱼，随时准备扑上去。
   （The kitten stared intently at the goldfish in the tank, ready to pounce at any moment.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• In Chinese, expressions related to high concentration often involve visual focus. Besides '目不转睛', idioms like '聚精会神' and '全神贯注' are commonly used to describe intense mental focus.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 聚精会神 (jù jīng huì shén): To concentrate one's spirit and focus completely.
  • 全神贯注 (quán shén guàn zhù): To focus all one's attention and be fully absorbed.
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 心不在焉 (xīn bú zài yān): Absent-minded, not mentally present.
  • 三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì): Indecisive, having a wavering mind.

6. Summary

'目不转睛' is an idiom frequently used to express intense focus on a visual object or close attention to an important moment. It conveys a stronger level of concentration and attraction to the object than simply 'staring' or 'gazing'. Using this idiom helps vividly convey a person's mental state or the tension of the scene to the reader.