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Verb + 见

HSK 2
  • Complements

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

Verb (看/听)见(Object)

Meaning (意思 yìsi)

Resultative complement 见 is used after the verbs 看/听 to indicate that the action has produced a result — that is, one has "seen" or "heard" something.

Explanation (解释 jiěshì)

见 (jiàn) is a resultative complement, typically following verbs of perception such as 看 (to look) and 听 (to listen). It emphasizes that the action has achieved its intended result.

  • 看 means the act of "looking," but 看见 means one has actually "seen" something.
  • 听 means the act of "listening," but 听见 means one has actually "heard" something.

For negation, use 没 (e.g., 没看见), not 不.

Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)

  1. 我看见他了。
    繁: 我看見他了。Wǒ kànjiàn tā le.

    I saw him.

  2. 你听见什么了？
    繁: 你聽見什麼了？Nǐ tīngjiàn shénme le?

    What did you hear?

  3. 我没看见你的书。
    繁: 我沒看見你的書。Wǒ méi kànjiàn nǐ de shū.

    I haven't seen your book.

  4. 他没听见电话响。
    繁: 他沒聽見電話響。Tā méi tīngjiàn diànhuà xiǎng.

    He didn't hear the phone ringing.

  5. 你看见我的猫了吗？
    繁: 你看見我的貓了嗎？Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de māo le ma?

    Have you seen my cat?

Common mistakes

  • Wrong:我昨天看他。
    Correct:我昨天看见他了。

    `看` means only the action of "looking." To express the result "have seen," you must use the resultative complement `看见`.

  • Wrong:我不听见。
    Correct:我没听见。

    To negate an action that did not occur or did not result in a past situation, use 没 rather than 不.