‘视线’ literally means ‘sight line’ — combining 视 (shì), meaning ‘to look’ or ‘vision’, and 线 (xiàn), meaning ‘line’. Together, it refers to the imaginary straight path along which a person or animal sees something: the direction and range of visual attention. It’s a concrete yet abstract concept used to describe where someone is looking, whether intentionally or unconsciously.

This word appears frequently in descriptions of behavior, perception, and spatial awareness — especially when discussing how people or animals orient themselves visually. In animal contexts, it helps explain hunting strategies, social signaling (e.g., avoiding direct eye contact in dogs or wolves), or predator-prey dynamics. Unlike the physical act of seeing (see 看 kàn), ‘视线’ emphasizes the directional vector of vision itself — what falls *within* that visual field and what lies outside it.