近视

jìn shì

myopia; short sight

HSK Level 6

Example Sentences

我近视了,所以我要戴眼镜。

wǒ jìnshìle, suǒyǐ wǒ yào dài yǎnjìng.

I am nearsighted, so I have to wear glasses.

近视的人不能长时间看电视。

jìnshì de rén bùnéng chángshíjiān kàn diànshì.

People with nearsightedness can't watch TV for a long time.

近视眼的人要注意保护眼睛。

jìnshìyǎn de rén yào zhùyì bǎohù yǎnjing.

People with nearsightedness should pay attention to protecting their eyes.

Synonyms

Antonyms

远视 (yuǎnshì)

farsightedness

正视 (zhèngshì)

normal vision

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 近视 (jìn shì) for nearsightedness is a compound of two characters: 近 (jìn), meaning "near," and 视 (shì), meaning "to see." The term 近视 is used to describe the condition in which a person can see nearby objects clearly but has difficulty seeing objects that are far away. This is because the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing light rays to focus in front of the retina instead of on it.The term 近视 is first recorded in the Chinese medical text 黄帝内经 (Huángdì Nèijīng), which dates back to the 2nd century BCE. In this text, 近视 is used to describe a condition in which a person can see objects up close but has difficulty seeing objects that are far away. The term is also used in the Chinese medical text 本草纲目 (Běncǎo Gāngmù), which dates back to the 16th century CE. In this text, 近视 is used to describe a condition in which a person can see objects up close but has difficulty seeing objects that are far away.The term 近视 is still used in Chinese today to describe nearsightedness. It is also used in other languages, such as Japanese and Korean, to describe the same condition.