眼線

简 眼线 · 繁 眼線
Mandarin · pinyin yǎn xiàn

Meanings

  1. informer
  2. snitch
  3. spy
  4. scout
  5. (cosmetics) eye line
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Characters in this entry

眼
yǎn · eye; eyelet, hole, opening
線
Look up this written character
线
xiàn · line, thread, wire; clue
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · yan3 xian4

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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.

眼線 · find source passages ↗ · 眼线 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngaan5 sin3

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

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

  1. informant; person that relays confidential information
  2. (cosmetics) eyeline

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

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