Seeing and insight with 眼
眼 refers to the “eye” itself, which governs vision, as well as the “gaze” that sees through to the essence of things.
Etymology
This kanji is a phono-semantic compound comprised of 目 (eye) as the semantic component and 艮 (stopping) as the phonetic component, giving the on-reading ガン. These invoke imagery of an eye fixed on something before it, holding it clearly in view.
Sight and View
肉眼 (Naked eye)
肉眼 refers to seeing things with your own eyes, without using optical instruments such as telescopes, microscopes, or magnifying glasses.
It combines 肉 (flesh) with 眼 (eye) to show the natural bodily eye.
Before class, Asuka Jr. mentions a Graham Comet, which passes near the Earth once every fifty years.
- 涼子:
- 「ステキ！！ それが こんどのクリスマス・イヴにくるの？」
- “Awesome!! Is it coming this Christmas Eve?”
- アスカ Jr.:
- 「どーせ肉眼じゃ見えねーよ。天文台にでもいかないとな」
- “You won't be able to see it with the naked eye anyway. You'd have to go to an observatory or something.”
裸眼 (Unaided vision)
裸眼 refers to the state of seeing things with one’s natural eyes, without the use of corrective devices such as glasses or contact lenses.
It combines 裸 (bare) with 眼 (eye) to show the eye in its uncovered, unaided state.
Shun asks Ayumu to continue switching places with him, since pretending to be Ayumu helps him be more open. Ayumu is game, but this requires Shun to go without his glasses, so Ayumu suggests he get contact lenses. Shun asks, “Contacts?”
- 歩:
- 「そう！眼悪いんでしょ？」
- “That's right! You have bad eyesight, don't you?”
- 駿:
- 「0.6くらいだから裸眼だときりぎり生活できるくらいかな…」
- “My vision's about 0.6, so without glasses, I can just barely get by in daily life...”
双眼鏡 (Binoculars)
双眼鏡 is an optical device consisting of two telescopes placed side by side, allowing the user to view distant scenery or objects through both eyes simultaneously.
It combines 双 (pair), 眼 (eyes), and 鏡 (lenses) to show a paired viewing tool for both eyes.
Ayumi leaves the bag with her new Masked Yaiba doll outside while she’s in the restroom. When she returns, she finds the bag waiting for her, but the doll is gone. Ran suggests someone may have taken her bag by mistake. Genta decides to see what’s in the bag Ayumi brought back, dumping its contents onto the ground.
- 元太:
- 「えーっと… 地図帳に双眼鏡に…」
- “Um... an atlas, binoculars...”
- 「懐中電灯…」
- “...a flashlight...”
- “Um... an atlas, binoculars...”
Vision Tools and Protection
眼鏡 (Glasses)
眼鏡 refers to devices worn in front of the eyes to correct vision, protect the eyes, or serve as an accessory.
It combines 眼 (eye) with 鏡 (lens) to show lenses worn before the eyes for seeing.
Professor Agasa and the Detective Boys stay overnight in a large villa in the woods after getting lost on a camping trip. Conan and Agasa go missing, leaving the rest of the kids to sneak around at night to search the property for them. After entering a secret passage, Haibana finds spots of blood on the ground, and then Genta finds Agasa’s glasses.
- 元太:
- 「な、なんで博士の眼鏡がこんな所に落ちてんだ！？」
- “W-what the heck? Why are the professor's glasses lying here!?”
- 歩美:
- 「割れてるし血もついてる…」
- “They're broken and there's blood on them...”