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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'catching sight of' with 看见 (kànjiàn)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    Subject + 看见 + Object

    Explanation

    The compound verb 看见 (kànjiàn) means 'to see' or 'to catch sight of.' It combines 看 (to look) with 见 (to perceive), and emphasizes that the act of looking resulted in actually seeing something. It is one of the most common ways to express visual perception in Chinese.

    Examples

    • 我在路上看见了一场车祸。

      Wǒ zài lù shàng kànjiàn le yì chǎng chēhuò.

      I saw a car accident on the road.

    • 你看见我的手机了吗？我找不到了。

      Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma? Wǒ zhǎo bú dào le.

      Have you seen my phone? I can't find it.

    • 她抬头看见天空中有一道彩虹。

      Tā táitóu kànjiàn tiānkōng zhōng yǒu yí dào cǎihóng.

      She looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky.