How to Write 睐 (lài) — Meaning “To look at; to favor.”

Picture a person’s eye (目) watching someone “come” (来) toward them — the eye follows the approaching person with special attention. This visual of an eye tracking an incoming figure helps you recall that 睐 means “to look at with favor.”

The left radical 目 should be narrow and tall, with four horizontal strokes evenly spaced, but do not let it become too wide — it should occupy about one-third of the character width. The right part 来 has seven strokes; be careful not to confuse its top stroke with a dot — it is a horizontal stroke. The final stroke of 来 is a long vertical line that should stop slightly above the bottom of the 目 radical.

睐 (lài) means “to look at” or “to favor” and is common in words like 青睐. 眔 (dá) is a very rare character meaning “to look far away” or “eyes meeting,” and is almost never used in modern Chinese. 眙 (yí) means “to stare” or “to gaze intently,” and appears in some classical texts, but while 眙 focuses on a fixed stare, 睐 emphasizes a welcoming or approving look.

睐 appears most often in the formal expression 青睐, meaning “to favor” or “to think highly of,” as in “获得青睐” (receive favorable attention). It is also used in literary or courteous phrases like 垂睐 and 顾睐, which describe someone showing kindness or favor to another. This character is not common in daily speech but is valued in written and formal contexts for expressing positive regard.

Common words containing 睐 include: 青睐 (qīng lài) — to favor; to think highly of; 垂睐 (chuí lài) — to show favor; to look upon with kindness; 顾睐 (gù lài) — To look upon with favor.