见
Pattern
看 / 听 + 见
Key words
Core idea
见 can follow perception verbs to show that the perception successfully happened.
The most common combinations are with hearing and seeing.
Result, not just action
A verb like “listen” or “look” can describe trying to perceive something. Adding 见 shows the result was achieved: you heard it or saw it.
Compare with potential complements
Once learners know this result meaning, it becomes easier to understand forms like “can hear/see” or “cannot hear/see,” where the result complement is placed inside a potential frame.
Examples
我听见有人叫我。
Wǒ tīngjiàn yǒu rén jiào wǒ.
I heard someone calling me.
你看见我的手机了吗？
Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma?
Did you see my phone?
我没听见老师的话。
Wǒ méi tīngjiàn lǎoshī de huà.
I did not hear what the teacher said.
Common mistakes
Avoid
我听有人叫我见。
Use
我听见有人叫我。
见 comes right after the perception verb to show the perception succeeded.
Seen in stories
The Reader Who Heard the Train
老板娘读到第三页，听见窗外同样的火车声。
When the owner reads the third page, she hears the same train sound outside the window.
The Reader Who Heard the Train
一个常来的读者说，他也听见过那种声音。
A regular reader says he has heard that sound too.
The Reader Who Heard the Train
他们翻到最后，看见每一页都夹着不同车站的叶子。
They turn to the end and see that each page holds a leaf from a different station.
The Reader Who Heard the Train
可是老板娘看见最后一片叶子，突然安静下来。
But when the owner sees the last leaf, she suddenly falls quiet.
The Reader Who Heard the Train
读者这才听见柜台后面的小收音机，正在播老站长的留言。
Only then does the reader hear the small radio behind the counter playing an old station master's message.