How to Say ‘Took a quick look’ in Simplified Chinese
看了一眼
kàn le yī yǎn
[kahn luh ee yen]
💬 Usage Tip: [看了一眼] literally means "looked one eyeful," and is a very common way to say "glanced." The pattern [verb + 一下/一眼] often means a quick action, like [看一眼] or [问一下].
Phrase Breakdown
看
kàn
[kahn]
to look; to check
A common verb meaning to look at or examine something.
我看了一下出租车的计价器。
I took a quick look at the taxi meter.
了
le
[luh]
completed-action particle
A particle placed after a verb to show the action happened or was completed.
我看了一眼，觉得价格不对。
I took a quick look and felt the price was wrong.
一
yī
[ee]
one; a
The number one; in phrases it can help indicate a quick or brief action.
我看了一眼计价器。
I glanced at the meter.
眼
yǎn
[yen]
eye; glance
Literally means eye; in this phrase it helps form the idea of taking a glance.
我看了一眼司机的证件。
I glanced at the driver's ID.
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