tīngjiàn: 听见 - to hear, to have heard

• Keywords: tīngjiàn, 听见, Chinese verb for hear, resultative complement, difference between ting and tingjian, how to say “I hear you” in Chinese, HSK 2 vocabulary, Chinese grammar, listen vs hear in Mandarin.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese verb 听见 (tīngjiàn), meaning “to hear.” This page explains its core meaning as a resultative verb, distinguishing it from the action of “listening” (听 tīng). Discover how to use it in practical situations, understand common mistakes English speakers make, and see ten clear example sentences perfect for HSK 2 learners and beginners.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): tīngjiàn
• Part of Speech: Verb (Resultative Verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 2
• Concise Definition: To successfully perceive a sound; to hear.
• In a Nutshell: 听见 (tīngjiàn) is not just about the act of listening, but about the result of that action. Think of it as “to listen and perceive.” While 听 (tīng) is the physical act of directing your ears towards a sound (“to listen”), 听见 (tīngjiàn) confirms that the sound successfully reached your brain. If music is playing but you have headphones on, you are 听 (tīng)-ing to your headphones, but you do not 听见 (tīngjiàn) the music in the room.

• 听 (tīng): This character means “to listen.” The left side is the “mouth” radical (口 kǒu), and the right side (斤 jīn) provides the sound. In its traditional form (聽), it contains the “ear” radical (耳), making the meaning more obvious. You can think of it as the action of listening.
• 见 (jiàn): This character most commonly means “to see.” However, when used as a suffix after another verb (a “resultative complement”), it means that the action was successfully perceived or achieved. It adds the sense of a result.
• Together: The characters literally combine to mean “listen-perceive,” which perfectly captures the meaning of successfully hearing a sound.

The concept behind 听见 (tīngjiàn) is less about deep cultural values and more about a fundamental principle of the Chinese language: resultative complements. This grammatical structure is crucial for learners to grasp as it reflects a different way of thinking about actions. In English, the verb “to hear” inherently implies a successful result. In Chinese, the action and the result are often separated into two parts: a verb for the action and a complement for the result.

• Action: 听 (tīng) - to listen
• Result: 见 (jiàn) - to perceive
• Action + Result: 听见 (tīngjiàn) - to have successfully heard

This can be compared to the English distinction between “looking” and “seeing.” You can be looking in the right direction but not actually see the object you're looking for. In Chinese, this action-result pattern applies to many more verbs, such as `看见 (kànjiàn)` (to look and see) and `听懂 (tīngdǒng)` (to listen and understand). Grasping this concept is a major step towards thinking more like a native Chinese speaker.

听见 (tīngjiàn) is an extremely common, everyday word used in all contexts, from formal to informal.

• On the Phone: It's frequently used to check for a clear connection. You'll constantly hear people ask, “喂？你听见我说话吗？” (Wèi? Nǐ tīngjiàn wǒ shuōhuà ma? - “Hello? Can you hear me speaking?”).
• In Noisy Environments: It's used to state whether a sound could be perceived through background noise. “太吵了，我没听见。” (Tài chǎo le, wǒ méi tīngjiàn. - “It's too loud, I didn't hear.”).
• The Negative Form “没听见”: The negative form is almost always 没听见 (méi tīngjiàn), meaning the result of hearing was not achieved. This is different from `不听 (bù tīng)`, which means “to refuse to listen” (a willful choice). This is a critical distinction.

• Example 1:
  • 外面那么吵，你听见我叫你了吗？
  • Pinyin: Wàimiàn nàme chǎo, nǐ tīngjiàn wǒ jiào nǐ le ma?
  • English: It's so noisy outside, did you hear me call you?
  • Analysis: A common question checking if the sound of “calling” was successfully perceived despite the noise.
• Example 2:
  • 我听见有人在敲门。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ tīngjiàn yǒu rén zài qiāo mén.
  • English: I hear someone knocking on the door.
  • Analysis: A simple statement of fact. The action of knocking was successfully heard.
• Example 3:
  • 对不起，我刚才没听见你的问题。
  • Pinyin: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ gāngcái méi tīngjiàn nǐ de wèntí.
  • English: Sorry, I didn't hear your question just now.
  • Analysis: This uses the crucial negative form 没听见 (méi tīngjiàn) to indicate a failure to perceive the sound, not a refusal to listen.
• Example 4:
  • 你把音乐关小声一点，我什么都听见了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bǎ yīnyuè guān xiǎoshēng yīdiǎn, wǒ shénme dōu tīngjiàn le.
  • English: Turn the music down a bit, I can hear everything.
  • Analysis: This implies the sounds are so clear that “everything” is being successfully heard, perhaps to the point of being distracting.
• Example 5:
  • 在森林里，你可以听见鸟叫的声音。
  • Pinyin: Zài sēnlín lǐ, nǐ kěyǐ tīngjiàn niǎo jiào de shēngyīn.
  • English: In the forest, you can hear the sound of birds chirping.
  • Analysis: Describes the ability to perceive a specific sound within an environment.
• Example 6:
  • 他的声音太小了，坐在后面的人都听见了吗？
  • Pinyin: Tā de shēngyīn tài xiǎo le, zuò zài hòumiàn de rén dōu tīngjiàn le ma?
  • English: His voice is too quiet, did the people sitting in the back hear him?
  • Analysis: A question about whether the result of hearing was achieved by a specific group of people.
• Example 7:
  • 我好像听见了猫的声音。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ hǎoxiàng tīngjiàn le māo de shēngyīn.
  • English: I think I heard a cat's meow.
  • Analysis: `好像 (hǎoxiàng)` means “it seems,” showing uncertainty about what was heard, but still using 听见 to denote the perception of a sound.
• Example 8:
  • 只要你仔细听，就能听见风吹过树叶的声音。
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào nǐ zǐxì tīng, jiù néng tīngjiàn fēng chuīguò shùyè de shēngyīn.
  • English: As long as you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.
  • Analysis: This sentence beautifully illustrates the difference: you must first `听` (listen) in order to be able to `听见` (hear).
• Example 9:
  • 电话信号不好，我听不见你说什么。
  • Pinyin: Diànhuà xìnhào bù hǎo, wǒ tīng bu jiàn nǐ shuō shénme.
  • English: The phone signal is bad, I can't hear what you're saying.
  • Analysis: This shows another common negative form, `听不见 (tīng bu jiàn)`, which emphasizes an inability to hear in the present moment. `没听见` is more for past events.
• Example 10:
  • 他假装没听见老师的话。
  • Pinyin: Tā jiǎzhuāng méi tīngjiàn lǎoshī de huà.
  • English: He pretended he didn't hear what the teacher said.
  • Analysis: A great example of social context. He likely did perceive the sound, but is acting as if the result was not achieved.

The most common mistake for learners is confusing 听 (tīng) and 听见 (tīngjiàn).

• 听 (tīng) = To Listen (The Action)
  • Use this for ongoing actions or commands to perform the action.
  • Example: 我在听音乐。(Wǒ zài tīng yīnyuè.) - “I am listening to music.”
  • Example: 你听我说！(Nǐ tīng wǒ shuō!) - “Listen to me!”
• 听见 (tīngjiàn) = To Hear (The Result)
  • Use this to state whether a sound was successfully perceived.
  • Example: 我听见了你的声音。(Wǒ tīngjiàn le nǐ de shēngyīn.) - “I heard your voice.”
  • Incorrect: 我在听见音乐。 (This is wrong because “hearing” is an instantaneous result, not a continuous action you can be “in the middle of”.)

Another critical point is the negative form:

• 没听见 (méi tīngjiàn) - Didn't hear.
  • This is neutral. It means you tried or were available to listen, but the sound didn't register.
  • Example: 风太大了，我没听见。(Fēng tài dà le, wǒ méi tīngjiàn.) - “The wind was too loud, I didn't hear.”
• 不听 (bù tīng) - Won't listen / Refuse to listen.
  • This implies a willful decision. It's about attitude, not ability.
  • Example: 孩子不听父母的话。(Háizi bù tīng fùmǔ de huà.) - “The child doesn't listen to (obey) his parents.”

Using `不听见` is almost always incorrect.

• 听 (tīng) - The root verb meaning “to listen.” It describes the action, not the result.
• 听到 (tīngdào) - A very close synonym for `听见`. `到` (dào) means “to arrive,” so it implies the sound “arrived” at your ear. They are often interchangeable.
• 听懂 (tīngdǒng) - To listen and understand. This signifies a deeper level of result—not just perceiving the sound, but comprehending its meaning.
• 看见 (kànjiàn) - The direct visual equivalent of `听见`. It means “to see” (to look and successfully perceive).
• 听不清 (tīng bu qīng) - To not hear clearly. `清 (qīng)` means “clear,” so this describes a partial or muddled result.
• 听力 (tīnglì) - Listening ability or listening comprehension, as tested in language exams like the HSK.
• 声音 (shēngyīn) - Sound, voice. This is the object that you `听见`.
• 闻到 (wéndào) - To smell (the result of sniffing). Another example of an action (`闻 wén` - to sniff) plus a result complement.