jiàn: 见 - to see, to meet, to appear

• Keywords: jian, 见, to see in Chinese, to meet in Chinese, Chinese character for see, jian4, Chinese verb see, kanjian, jianmian, zaijian, Chinese grammar result complement
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese character 见 (jiàn), a cornerstone of daily communication. This guide goes beyond the simple translation of “to see,” exploring its crucial role as a result complement (as in 看见 kànjiàn, to successfully see), its use in phrases like 见面 (jiànmiàn, to meet), and its connection to expressing opinions (意见 yìjiàn). Understand why 见 (jiàn) is the key to expressing the successful outcome of perception and interaction in Mandarin Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jiàn
• Part of Speech: Verb, Result Complement, Noun (in specific compounds)
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To see; to meet; to perceive the result of an action.
• In a Nutshell: While the character `看 (kàn)` is the action of “looking,” `见 (jiàn)` is the successful result of that action. It's the difference between “to look” and “to see.” If you look for your keys, you are performing `看`. When your eyes finally land on them and your brain registers their presence, that's `看见 (kànjiàn)`. This core concept of “successful perception” extends to meeting people (`见面 jiànmiàn`) and forming opinions (`意见 yìjiàn`).

• 见 (jiàn): This character is a pictograph. The top part `目 (mù)` represents an “eye,” and the bottom part `人 (rén, stylized as 儿)` represents a “person.” Together, they form a vivid image of a person with a large, emphasized eye, directly symbolizing the act and result of seeing.

In both Chinese and English, the concept of “seeing” is deeply linked to “understanding.” Phrases like “I see what you mean” exist in both cultures. However, Chinese uses `见 (jiàn)` to formalize this link in grammar and vocabulary. The character emphasizes the result and perception, a common theme in Chinese grammar. This contrasts with the Western focus which often leaves the result implied. For example, in English we say “I heard you,” and the context tells us if we understood. In Chinese, `听见 (tīngjiàn)` literally means “hear-perceive” and explicitly states that the sound was successfully received by the brain. Furthermore, the act of meeting, `见面 (jiànmiàn)`, literally means “to see the face.” This highlights a cultural emphasis on direct, face-to-face interaction as the most genuine form of meeting, a concept more significant than the often casual or virtual “meeting up” in modern Western culture.

`见 (jiàn)` is rarely used alone as a verb in modern colloquial Mandarin. It almost always appears as part of a compound word or a specific grammatical structure.

• As a Result Complement: This is its most common and important use for beginners. It attaches to a sensory verb to indicate the action was successful.
  • `看见 (kànjiàn)` - to look and successfully see.
  • `听见 (tīngjiàn)` - to listen and successfully hear.
  • `闻见 (wénjiàn)` - to sniff and successfully smell.
  • `梦见 (mèngjiàn)` - to dream and see something in the dream.
• Meeting People:
  • `见面 (jiànmiàn)` - The most common way to say “to meet up” or “meet face-to-face.”
  • `见 + [Person]` - A slightly more formal way to say “to meet with someone,” often a specific person. (e.g., `我去见客户 - wǒ qù jiàn kèhù` - I'm going to meet a client.)
  • `再见 (zàijiàn)` - The standard word for “goodbye,” literally meaning “again, see.”
• Expressing Views:
  • `意见 (yìjiàn)` - Opinion, suggestion, or complaint. A very common word in workplace and daily life.
  • `见解 (jiànjiě)` - A point of view or insight, often implying more depth and thought than `意见`.
• Indicating Disappearance:
  • The phrase `不见了 (bú jiàn le)` is extremely common and means “is gone” or “has disappeared.” (e.g., `我的钱包不见了！- Wǒ de qiánbāo bú jiàn le!` - My wallet is gone!)

• Example 1:
  • 你见到我的手机了吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ jiàndào wǒ de shǒujī le ma?
  • English: Have you seen my phone?
  • Analysis: Here, `见到 (jiàndào)` is a resultative complement, similar to `看见`. It asks if the action of seeing the phone was successfully completed.
• Example 2:
  • 对不起，我没听见你叫我。
  • Pinyin: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ méi tīngjiàn nǐ jiào wǒ.
  • English: Sorry, I didn't hear you call me.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of `见` as a result complement. The person was listening (`听`), but the result (`见`) was not achieved. `没 (méi)` is used to negate this completed action in the past.
• Example 3:
  • 我们明天下午三点见面吧。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn jiànmiàn ba.
  • English: Let's meet tomorrow at 3 PM.
  • Analysis: `见面 (jiànmiàn)` is used here as a standard verb phrase for “to meet up.”
• Example 4:
  • 很高兴见到你！
  • Pinyin: Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ!
  • English: Very happy to meet you! / Nice to meet you!
  • Analysis: A common and polite phrase when meeting someone for the first time. `见到` functions like `见`, meaning “to see” or “to meet.”
• Example 5:
  • 你对这个计划有什么意见吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ duì zhège jìhuà yǒu shénme yìjiàn ma?
  • English: Do you have any opinions/suggestions about this plan?
  • Analysis: Shows `见` used in the common noun `意见 (yìjiàn)` to mean “opinion” or “view.”
• Example 6:
  • 我的钥匙又不见了！
  • Pinyin: Wǒ de yàoshi yòu bú jiàn le!
  • English: My keys have disappeared again!
  • Analysis: `不见了 (bú jiàn le)` is a fixed phrase meaning something is lost or gone. Literally, it's “(can) no longer be seen.”
• Example 7:
  • 百闻不如一见。
  • Pinyin: Bǎi wén bù rú yí jiàn.
  • English: Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. (Seeing is believing.)
  • Analysis: A famous idiom (chengyu) where `见` stands alone as the noun/verb “a sight” or “the act of seeing.”
• Example 8:
  • 我昨天梦见你了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān mèngjiàn nǐ le.
  • English: I dreamed about you last night. (Literally: I dreamed and saw you.)
  • Analysis: Another great example of the result complement. The action is dreaming (`梦`), and the perceived result is seeing you (`见`).
• Example 9:
  • 他是一位有远见的领导。
  • Pinyin: Tā shì yí wèi yǒu yuǎnjiàn de lǐngdǎo.
  • English: He is a leader with foresight.
  • Analysis: `远见 (yuǎnjiàn)` means “foresight” or “vision,” literally “far-seeing.” This shows the metaphorical extension of `见`.
• Example 10:
  • 明天见！
  • Pinyin: Míngtiān jiàn!
  • English: See you tomorrow!
  • Analysis: A casual and very common way to say goodbye, built from the same logic as `再见 (zàijiàn)`. You can substitute `明天` with other time words like `一会儿见 (yīhuìr jiàn)` - see you in a bit.

• `看 (kàn)` vs. `看见 (kànjiàn)`: This is the most common point of confusion for learners.
  • `看 (kàn)` is the action of looking. You can do it for hours.
  • `看见 (kànjiàn)` is the result of seeing something. It's a momentary achievement.
  • Correct: `我看了很久，但是没看见他。 (Wǒ kàn le hěn jiǔ, dànshì méi kànjiàn tā.)` - “I looked for a long time, but I didn't see him.”
  • Incorrect: `我看见很久。` This is wrong because `看见` is an instantaneous result, you can't do it “for a long time.”
• `见 (jiàn)` vs. `见面 (jiànmiàn)`:
  • Use `见` when there is a direct object (the person you are meeting): `我明天要见我的老师。(Wǒ míngtiān yào jiàn wǒ de lǎoshī.)`
  • Use `见面` when there is no object, or when you use `跟 (gēn)`: `我们明天见面。(Wǒmen míngtiān jiànmiàn.)` OR `我明天要跟我的老师见面。(Wǒmen míngtiān yào gēn wǒ de lǎoshī jiànmiàn.)`
  • Incorrect: `我们明天见面我的老师。`
• False Friend: “I see” for understanding:
  • In English, “I see” means “I understand.” In Chinese, you cannot translate this as `我见了 (wǒ jiàn le)`.
  • Correct: `我明白了 (wǒ míngbai le)` or `我懂了 (wǒ dǒng le)`.

• `看见 (kànjiàn)` - The most common resultative verb for seeing; “to look and see.”
• `见面 (jiànmiàn)` - To meet face-to-face; a separable verb.
• `再见 (zàijiàn)` - The standard word for “goodbye,” literally meaning “see you again.”
• `意见 (yìjiàn)` - Opinion, suggestion, or complaint. A very practical and common word.
• `听见 (tīngjiàn)` - The auditory equivalent of `看见`; to listen and successfully hear.
• `看 (kàn)` - The action of looking, watching, or reading. The prerequisite action for `看见`.
• `遇见 (yùjiàn)` - To run into, to meet by chance, to encounter. More passive than `见面`.
• `见解 (jiànjiě)` - A unique insight, a profound viewpoint. More formal and stronger than `意见`.
• `罕见 (hǎnjiàn)` - Rare, seldom seen. An adjective describing something not often encountered.
• `显而易见 (xiǎn'ér'yìjiàn)` - An idiom for “obvious” or “self-evident,” literally “it appears and is easy to see.”