‘窥伺’ is a compound verb meaning to spy on or lurk and watch stealthily, often with intent to take advantage or seize an opportunity. The first character 窥 (kuī) means 'to peek' or 'to secretly observe', evoking the image of someone peering from concealment. The second character 伺 (sì) means 'to wait for' or 'to lie in wait', suggesting patient, opportunistic observation. Together, they emphasize both the act of covert watching and the underlying motive—such as predation, surveillance, or strategic timing.

This word carries a distinctly negative or wary connotation and appears frequently in literary, journalistic, or descriptive contexts—especially when portraying predators stalking prey, spies gathering intelligence, or rivals monitoring each other’s moves. It is rarely used in casual speech and tends to appear in formal writing or vivid narrative descriptions where tension or threat is implied.