ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to see; to meet

见 in traditional Chinese

Where 见 comes from

The oracle-bone form is literally a big eye on top of a kneeling person: a human reduced to the act of looking. Seeing someone became meeting them.

见 in Chinese culture

再见 'see you again' is the everyday goodbye. 见面 to meet face-to-face, 意见 opinion (what your eye lands on). The eye-with-legs even walks into other characters: 现 appear, 视 look at.

Example

How to remember it

An EYE on LEGS walking around — SEEING and MEETING.

明天见 'see you tomorrow' needs no verb 'meet' — 见 alone carries the whole appointment.

Same sound, different tones

Words unlocked by 见

Related characters

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