Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'seeing' or 'meeting' with 见 (jiàn)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    Subject + 见 + Object

    Explanation

    The verb 见 (jiàn) means 'to see' or 'to meet.' It indicates visually perceiving something or encountering someone. It often appears in compound verbs such as 看见 (to catch sight of) and 再见 (goodbye, literally 'see again').

    Examples

    • 好久不见,真高兴又见到你了。

      Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn, zhēn gāoxìng yòu jiàn dào nǐ le.

      Long time no see, I'm really happy to see you again.

    • 昨天我在超市见了一个老同学。

      Zuótiān wǒ zài chāoshì jiàn le yí gè lǎo tóngxué.

      Yesterday I ran into an old classmate at the supermarket.

    • 明天下午三点我们在咖啡店见吧。

      Míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn wǒmen zài kāfēi diàn jiàn ba.

      Let's meet at the coffee shop at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

    Expressing 'seeing' or 'meeting' with 见 (jiàn) | Chinese Grammar