‘妒眼’ literally means 'envious eyes' — a vivid, figurative noun combining 妒 (dù, 'envy' or 'jealousy') and 眼 (yǎn, 'eyes'). It does not refer to actual eyes but symbolizes the intense, watchful, often resentful gaze of someone who feels jealous. This expression evokes imagery of sidelong glances, narrowed eyes, or lingering stares fueled by covetousness — commonly used in literary, descriptive, or slightly dramatic contexts.

The term appears frequently in classical and modern Chinese writing to portray emotional tension: for instance, describing how a rival watches someone’s success with silent bitterness, or how unrequited love manifests as a painful, longing stare. While grammatically a noun, ‘妒眼’ functions like a noun phrase — it can serve as subject, object, or appositive, but rarely takes modifiers like adjectives; instead, it’s often paired with verbs like ‘射出’ (emit), ‘投来’ (cast), or ‘充满’ (be filled with). It carries a subtle negative or critical connotation, implying moral weakness or emotional immaturity.