Writing Balance Rule: The outer frame arches gracefully like an eyebrow arch, while the inner horizontal strokes are neatly spaced and suspended inside.
1. Meaning
eyebrow
upper marginedge of a book or page (book margins)
NounNeutral#body parts#face#publishing
Sample Usage
她画了精致的眉毛。
tā huà le jīngzhì de méimáo.
She drew delicate eyebrows.
书眉上有密密麻麻的批注。
shū méi shàng yǒu mìmìmámá de pīzhù.
There are dense annotations in the upper margin of the book.
2. Sound
/[meɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
眉
méimei2
|
++
´(35)
=méi
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
mei
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently, voiced nasal airflow through the nose.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'ay' in day
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises steeply to the top, exactly like asking 'What?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, méi shifts to a rising tone similar to a 2nd tone.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with 4th tone mèi (妹妹 mèimei - younger sister), which drops sharply in pitch.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Raise your hand and pitch upward from your chest to your eye level, mimicking a surprised question like 'May?'
3. Writing
Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 9 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The outer frame arches gracefully like an eyebrow arch, while the inner horizontal strokes are neatly spaced and suspended inside.
4. Components
Radical目 · Eye Radical (eye)
Semantic Clue (形旁):目 (Indicates that this body part is located directly above the eye.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):𠂉 (original sound: mei)
The shape represents the protective hair arch (𠂉) positioned directly above the eye (目).
𠂉 brow arch
目 eye
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
8· Phonetic Root: 眉 (méi)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: In Oracle Bone scripts, the character was depicted as hairs drawn directly above the graphic symbol of an eye, representing the eyebrows.
Semantic Evolution: Originally meant the hair above the eye, later extended to describe top margins of ancient bound books (book margins located at the very top, like eyebrows on a face).
Ancient scholars wrote notes in the top blank space of scrolls, calling it 'shūméi' (book eyebrows).
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ビ (bi) / ミ (mi) / Kun: まゆ (mayu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
미
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine looking into a mirror and seeing your eyebrow (méi) gracefully arched right above your eye (目).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
媚
mèi(bound form) to flatter; (bound form) charming+ 女 (woman)