How to Write 睽 (kuí) — Meaning “To stare.”

Imagine a crowd of eyes (目) all staring at a single point, and the sound "kuí" sounds like "quick"—so remember "quick, everyone is staring!" Another trick: think of 癸 as a ladder; when you stare hard, you climb up the ladder of attention. This helps recall both the pronunciation and the intense stare meaning.

Write the left radical 目 first (vertical left, top, inner strokes, bottom), then the right side 癸: start with the top 癶 (two dots and a stroke), then 矢 (arrow) below. A common mistake is mixing up 癸 with 登 (dēng) because they look similar—remember 癸 has a 矢 (arrow) not a 豆 (bean). Keep the left eye radical narrow and the right side balanced to avoid a crooked character.

睽 means to stare intently, often with a sense of public watching (众目睽睽). In contrast, 睃 (suō) means to look sideways or squint, and 睇 (dì) means to glance or look askance. Visually, 睽 has 癸 on the right, while 睃 has 夋 and 睇 has 弟—these different right-side parts change both pronunciation and meaning.

睽 appears mostly in formal or literary phrases like 众目睽睽 (under the watchful eyes of the public) and 睽违 (to be separated for a long time). It is rarely used alone in daily speech but carries a strong visual of intense observation. Culturally, 睽 is also the name of a hexagram (睽卦) in the I Ching, symbolizing opposition and estrangement.

Common words containing 睽 include: 众目睽睽 (zhòng mù kuí kuí) — Under the watchful eyes of the public.; 睽违 (kuí wéi) — To be separated for a long time.; 睽睽 (kuí kuí) — Staring..