见

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 见 (jiàn) is composed of two parts: 目 (mù), which means "eye", and 爫 (xiàn), which is a phonetic component. The original meaning of 见 is "to see", which is extended to mean "to meet", "to visit", "to know", and "to understand".The character 见 first appeared in oracle bone inscriptions, the earliest form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone inscriptions, 见 is depicted as a person with two eyes looking out. This pictograph clearly represents the meaning of "to see".In seal script, the second form of Chinese writing, 见 is further stylized. The person is no longer depicted, but the two eyes are still clearly visible. The phonetic component 爫 is added to the character to indicate its pronunciation.In modern Chinese, 见 is still used in its original meaning of "to see". It is also used in a number of other meanings, including "to meet", "to visit", "to know", and "to understand". For example, the phrase 见面 (jiànmiàn) means "to meet face to face", the phrase 拜见 (bàijiàn) means "to pay a visit to", the phrase 认识 (rènshi) means "to know someone", and the phrase 了解 (liǎojiě) means "to understand".The character 见 is a common character in Chinese. It is used in a wide variety of words and phrases, and it is an important character to learn for HSK learners.