DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

針眼

简针眼 · 繁針眼

Mandarin · pinyin zhēn yǎn#

eye of a needle
pinprick
pinhole

Mandarin · pinyin zhēn yan#

(medicine) stye; hordeolum

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

針: Look up this written character
眼: yǎn · eye; eyelet, hole, opening
针: zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–3 · zhen1 yan3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links1same-tone record

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

針眼 · find source passages ↗ · 针眼 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zam1 ngaan5

Cantonese word readings for 針眼. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

eye of the needle
perforation made with a needle; pinprick

noun

(medicine) sty; hordeolum

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack