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大眼瞪小眼

English translation: look at one another at a loss, surprised, or disappointed

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Chinese term or phrase:	大眼瞪小眼
English translation:	look at one another at a loss, surprised, or disappointed
Entered by:	Elizabeth Ruggiero

Options:
- Contribute to this entry
- Include in personal glossary

13:39 Aug 3, 2008

Chinese to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Chinese term or phrase: 大眼瞪小眼

What are the literal and implied meanings of this?

Elizabeth Ruggiero KudoZ activity Questions: 171 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 10 United States
Local time: 06:23

eyeball to eyeball

Explanation:
This phrase was used by U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk of the Kennedy Administration at the height of the Cuba Crisis (of nuclear confrontation between the U S and USSR). It implies a puzzled (at that moment extremely fraught) confrontation. In Chinese, the phrase is often used but not necessarily with such intense and perilous connotations. It usually indicate a puzzling situation. The words large and small only indicates two different parties confronting each other.

Selected response from:

Francis Fine
Local time: 03:23

Grading comment

Thank you - this is the meaning I was trying to get out of it but couldn't think of how to say it. Thanks also for the great historical reference!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +2

look at one another (or each other if two people) at a loss, at a dismay, surprised, or disappointed

orientalhorizon

4 +2

two people staring at each other; without knowing what to do

Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira

3 +1

Two people staring at each other

kjmcguire

eyeball to eyeball

Francis Fine

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

15 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Two people staring at each other

Explanation:
I'm not sure what the context is but this is the translation I've seen most often.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2008-08-03 13:55:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I suppose you could also say 'Two people looking/glancing at each other'.

Example sentence(s):

我们大眼瞪小眼，谁也不知道该怎么办了。　　Looking at each other, none of us was at a loss as to what to do.

Reference: http://edu.sina.com.cn/yyks/2008-05-07/0934137990.shtml

kjmcguire
Netherlands
Local time: 12:23
Native speaker of:

English

27 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

two people staring at each other; without knowing what to do

Explanation:
.

Reference: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E7%9C%BC%E7%9E%AA%E5...

Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Portuguese

40 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

look at one another (or each other if two people) at a loss, at a dismay, surprised, or disappointed

Explanation:
An idiom, not necessarily limited to two people. Just imagine such a scenario, two or a group of people are discussing a topic and thinking they are approaching a final solution when their boss storms into the room and tells them that he forgot to provide them with a critical premise or fundamental condition, and their deliberations of the half day turns out to be nothing, then the whole room may "大眼瞪小眼", and maybe dare not be angry at their boss.

orientalhorizon
Local time: 18:23
Native speaker of:

Chinese
PRO pts in category: 12

2 hrs confidence:

eyeball to eyeball

Francis Fine
Local time: 03:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Chinese,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thank you - this is the meaning I was trying to get out of it but couldn't think of how to say it. Thanks also for the great historical reference!

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Changes made by editors

Aug 4, 2008 - Changes made by Elizabeth Ruggiero:
Edited KOG entry	Elizabeth Ruggiero's old entry - "大眼瞪小眼" => "eyeball to eyeball"

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大眼瞪小眼

English translation: look at one another at a loss, surprised, or disappointed

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大眼瞪小眼

English translation: look at one another at a loss, surprised, or disappointed

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.