Definition
干瞪眼 is a colloquial verb phrase that describes the frustration of standing by helplessly while something bad happens—like watching a mistake, failure, or crisis unfold with no way to intervene. The literal image is 'dry staring eyes'—you can only stare blankly without doing anything. Use it when you or someone else can only look on in despair.
v.p.
to stand by helplesslyunable to do anythingto look on in despair
Examples
- ，干瞪眼，。Kàn dào jīhuì liūzǒu, tā zhǐ néng gān, yì diǎn bànfǎ yě méi yǒu.Seeing the opportunity slip away, he could only stand by helplessly with no way to act.
- ，干瞪眼，。Bǐsài shū le, jiàoliàn zài chǎng biān gān, háo wú bànfǎ.The match was lost, and the coach stood by the sidelines in despair, completely helpless.
- ，干瞪眼，。Gōngsī pòchǎn shí, yuángōng men zhǐ néng gān, méi yǒu rén néng gǎibiàn jiéjú.When the company went bankrupt, the employees could only watch helplessly, with no one able to change the outcome.
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