---
title: "Yankan Meaning: 眼看 (yǎnkàn) Means “to watch helplessly”"
description: "眼看 (yǎnkàn) means “to watch helplessly; to sit by and watch”. Hear its tones, see what 眼 and 看 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yankan"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 眼看 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

眼看 yǎnkàn

## to watch helplessly; to sit by and watch

## It can also mean

- soon; in a moment

## Its characters

1. 眼 yǎn eye
2. 看 kàn to look at

## In a sentence

眼看就要下雨了，快走吧。 It's about to rain, let's hurry.

这六人的名字也古怪，分别叫作**眼看**喜、耳听怒、鼻嗅爱、舌尝思、意见欲、身本忧。

From [紧箍咒 · The Tightening Spell](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-tightening-spell-journey-to-the-west-advanced-chinese-11#library-word-54-56)

[More about 眼看](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%9C%BC%E7%9C%8B)

## More words with 眼 or 看

- [闭眼入 bìyǎnrù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biyanru)
- [查看 chákàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chakan)
- [观看 guānkàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guankan)
- [好看 hǎokàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/haokan)
- [看病 kànbìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kanbing)
- [看不上 kànbushàng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kanbushang)
- [看待 kàndài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kandai)
- [看得上 kàndeshàng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kandeshang)
- [看法 kànfǎ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kanfa)
- [看好 kànhǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kanhao)

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