刮目相看 guāmù-xiāngkàn to have a whole new level of respect for somebody or something
to have a whole new level of respect for somebody or something; to sit up and take notice (of somebody's improved performance etc)
How to remember 刮目相看: 刮 blows + 目 eye + 相 mutual + 看 look at = to have a whole new level of respect for somebody or something.
Characters
How it is used
- For revising your low opinion of someone sharply upward after they improve - 士别三日，当刮目相看 (shì bié sān rì, dāng guāmù-xiāngkàn) after three days apart, look at a person with new eyes.
- Written/literary flavor; typical frame is 让人/令人刮目相看 (make people see one in a new light).
- Only for upward reappraisal of a person's ability or achievement - not for changing an opinion about a thing or for a downgrade.
Example sentences
- 我对你刮目相看了。 Wǒ duì nǐ guāmùxiāngkàn le.I'm seeing you in a new light.