眉开眼笑

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: méi kāi yǎn xiào
• English Translation: Beaming with joy, smiling broadly, eyes twinkling with happiness
• Idiom Composition: 「眉」（Eyebrow）＋「开」（Open）＋「眼」（Eye）＋「笑」（Smile）
• Meaning: Describes a facial expression where the eyebrows are raised and the eyes are smiling, showing great joy and an uncontrollable happy expression.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「眉开眼笑」 contains the following nuances:

• Great joy: Expresses heartfelt joy and great happiness.
• Description of expression: Depicts joy that is clearly reflected across the entire facial expression.
• Visual imagery: Uses specific facial features like eyebrows and eyes to visually convey an expression of happiness.

3. Usage

「眉开眼笑」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Joyful occasions: Used to describe facial expressions when hearing good news or experiencing happy events.
  • Example:「听到儿子考上了理想的大学，老王眉开眼笑，高兴得合不拢嘴。」
    （Upon hearing that his son was admitted to his dream university, Mr. Wang was beaming with joy, unable to stop smiling.）
• Expression of satisfaction: Expresses satisfaction when results meet expectations or things go well.
  • Example:「经过一番努力，项目终于成功，团队成员个个眉开眼笑。」
    （After much effort, the project finally succeeded, and every team member was smiling broadly with joy.）
• Gifts and surprises: Expresses joy when receiving gifts or surprises.
  • Example:「她收到男朋友送的花，立刻眉开眼笑，心情大好。」
    （She received flowers from her boyfriend and immediately beamed with happiness, feeling great.）

Additional Examples:

1. 孩子们看到圣诞老人，都眉开眼笑，兴奋不已。
   （The children saw Santa Claus and all smiled broadly with joy, extremely excited.）
2. 他中了彩票，自然是眉开眼笑，喜出望外。
   （He won the lottery and naturally was beaming with joy, over the moon.）
3. 听到这个好消息，她眉开眼笑，激动地说不出话来。
   （Upon hearing the good news, she smiled broadly with joy, so moved she was speechless.）
4. 爷爷看到孙子来看他，眉开眼笑地迎了上去。
   （Grandpa saw his grandson coming to visit and greeted him with a beaming smile.）
5. 考试得了满分，小明眉开眼笑，一路蹦蹦跳跳地回了家。
   （Xiao Ming got a perfect score on the exam and smiled broadly with joy, skipping all the way home.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• In Chinese culture, it is common to express emotions through facial expressions. The idiom '眉开眼笑' reflects this cultural tendency to openly show joy.
• However, overusing this idiom may give an exaggerated impression, so it should be used appropriately.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 喜笑颜开 (xǐ xiào yán kāi): Showing great happiness and joy.
  • 笑逐颜开 (xiào zhú yán kāi): Wearing a broad smile.
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 愁眉苦脸 (chóu méi kǔ liǎn): A worried and distressed facial expression.
  • 忧心忡忡 (yōu xīn chōng chōng): Being full of worries and unable to calm the mind.

6. Summary

'眉开眼笑' vividly describes an expression overflowing with joy. Using this idiom conveys not just happiness, but the depth and intensity of that joy more specifically. When expressing happiness in Chinese, be sure to use '眉开眼笑' to add vividness to your expression.