v.
To perceive with the eyes as an active act of sight. To see, catch sight of, meet, or visit someone. An eye (目) on two legs (儿) walking out to look and meet.
见
Common Usage & Traps
- 再见 — goodbye; see you again
- 看见 — to see; to catch sight of
- 见面 — to meet; to see each other
- 见朋友 — to meet a friend
- 明天见 — see you tomorrow
- 好久不见 — long time no see
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我见面他我跟他见面 / 我见他见面 already has 面 inside it. You cannot bolt a person right after it.
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见电视看电视English can say see a show, but Chinese uses 看 for watching TV. 见 is for a brief chance encounter, not sustained watching.
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见书看书Reading is active. 见 is not used for reading books or looking at things on purpose.
Why does 我们几个月没有见了 drop 面 instead of saying 见面了?
见面 is the full meet-up phrase; bare 见 works when the object is obvious.
见面 literally means see face, and it often acts like one phrase. In casual negatives like 我们几个月没有见了, people drop 面 because everyone knows you mean see each other. You can also say 我们几个月没有见面了; it sounds a bit fuller, not wrong. When you name the person, do not say 我见面他. Say 我见他 or 我跟他见面. Think of 见面 as having its object baked in, so a person cannot be bolted on right after it. “我们几个月没有见了。” (We haven't seen each other for a few months.) ── [《你也在想我吗》](/read/do-you-miss-me-too#s7)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bare form after 没 | 我们几个月没有见了 | 我们几个月没有见 |
| Full form with 了 | 我们几个月没有见面了 | 我们几个月没有见了面 |
| Person as object | 我跟他见面 / 我见他 | 我见面他 |
What's the real difference between 见 and 看 when both seem to mean see?
见 is a chance encounter; 看 is active looking, watching, reading, or visiting.
If something enters your view without much effort, 见 can fit. If you choose to point your eyes at something, use 看. That is why you 看电视, 看书, and 看医生, not 见电视, 见书, or 见医生. With people, 见朋友 usually means meet up with a friend. 看朋友 sounds more like visit a friend. 看见 is the special combo for successfully see, not a generic replacement for 看.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Watch TV | 看电视 | 见电视 |
| Read a book | 看书 | 见书 |
| Get medical help | 看医生 | 见医生 |
Why do you need 见 in 看见 if 看 already means look?
看 is the action; 见 shows the action succeeded and you actually saw it.
看 alone can mean look, watch, or read. It does not promise that anything registered. Add 见 and you get the result: your eyes caught it. So 我看了，但没看见 means I looked, but I did not see it. Use 看见 when the seeing actually happened, not just when your eyes were pointed in that direction.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Looked but didn't see | 我看了，但没看见 | 我看了，但没看 |
| Saw it by chance | 我看见一只猫 | 我看一只猫 |
| Result achieved | 我看见他了 | 我看他了 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
This short, soothing piece is about missing someone on a rainy night. The sentences are simple and repeat often, so you can practice reading while feeling the warm emotion.
- Scene #1
我们几个月没有 见 了。
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