目

Han character

目 (Kangxi radical 109, 目+0, 5 strokes, cangjie input 月山 (BU), four-corner 6010₁, composition ⿴囗𠄠)

1. Kangxi radical #109, ⽬.

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 目, Shang ...

Historical forms of the character 目
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Qin slip script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Close

Pictogram (象形) – human eye, now rotated 90 degrees. Compare the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓁹.

See also 直, 真, 見, 頁, 夏, 面, 臣 and the earlier versions of 要. The eye is not rotated in the character 𢛳, 曼, 睪, and 眔 (used in 褱).

Sometimes it depicts a web (网) through its variant 罒, e.g., 買, 罵, 罪, 詈 (used in 罰) and 羅 (> 罗). Unrelated to 鼎 and 貝.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-mjak ~ s-mik. Cognate with Tibetan མིག (mig, “eye”), Burmese မျက် (myak, “eye, face”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

目

1. (literary or Min) eye (Classifier: 雙／双 mn-t)

   See also: 眼

   耳目  ―  ěrmù  ―  ears and eyes; spies

   目睭 [Hokkien]  ―  ba̍k-chiu [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  eye

2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) eyesight
3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to look; to view; to see
4. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to wink at
5. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to judge; to comment on
6. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) opinion; viewpoint
7. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to view as; to regard
8. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) item; entry

   賬目／账目  ―  zhàngmù  ―  entry

9. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) title; headline
10. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) section
11. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) list; catalogue; table of contents

    目錄／目录  ―  mùlù  ―  catalogue

12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) name
13. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) target; goal

    目標／目标  ―  mùbiāo  ―  target

    目的  ―  mùdì  ―  target, goal

14. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) chief; head; leader
15. (taxonomy) order
16. (Classical) to call; to address (of people's names and titles)

    Synonym: 稱呼 / 称呼 (chēnghū)

17. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese, obsolete or Hokkien) hole; cavity; eyelet
18. (Hokkien) joint; knot; lump

    柴目 [Hokkien]  ―  chhâ-ba̍k [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  lumps on wood

19. (Hokkien) Classifier for segments, such as sugar cane.
20. (Taiwanese Hokkien) Classifier for pieces in Go.

Compounds