眉 méi eyebrows
How it came to be
An eye with hairs curving above it. In the oldest forms the eye lies on its side, the way it really sits in a face. The brow stands it upright on the page.
How it is used
- Eyebrow - 眉毛 (méimao) eyebrows, 眉头 (méitóu) the brow (皱眉头 to knit one's brows).
- Expressions read from the brow: 眉开眼笑 (méikāi-yǎnxiào) beaming with joy, 愁眉苦脸 (chóuméi-kǔliǎn) a worried, glum face.
- 眉目 (méimù) = facial features, or 'the gist/some progress' (有眉目了 things are taking shape).
- 燃眉之急 (ránméi-zhījí) = a pressing emergency (as urgent as fire singeing the brows).