看见 (kàn jiàn) — to see; to catch sight of

看见 (kàn jiàn)

看见 is a verb + result complement structure. 看 means "to look/watch" and 见 is the complement meaning "perceive/succeed in seeing." Together they mean the act of looking was successful — you actually saw something. Compare 看 (looking, possibly without result) with 看见 (looked and did see). The negative is 没看见 (didn't see / couldn't see).

Meanings

1. [v+comp] See; catch sight of — look and successfully perceive with the eyes.
2. [v+comp] Notice; spot — become aware of something through sight.

Example Sentences

我看见他了！他在那边。 Wǒ kàn jiàn tā le! Tā zài nàbiān. I see him! He's over there.

你看见我的手机了吗？ Nǐ kàn jiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma? Did you see my phone?

天太黑了，我什么都看不见。 Tiān tài hēi le, wǒ shénme dōu kàn bu jiàn. It's too dark; I can't see anything.

她一进门就看见了那束花。 Tā yī jìn mén jiù kàn jiàn le nà shù huā. As soon as she walked in the door, she saw that bouquet of flowers.

Collocations

Memory Hook

看 (look) + 见 (perceive) = the action of looking reached its target. 见 is the green light that says "your eyes found it."