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瞥见 (piē jiàn) — to catch a glimpse of, to see briefly

Definition

瞥见 (piē jiàn) means to catch a brief, unintended glimpse — the sight is quick and unplanned, not a deliberate look. Stronger and more literary than 看见 ('to see').

verb
to catch a glimpse ofto see briefly

Examples

  • 瞥见。
    Wǒ piē jiàn le yí gè shú xi de shēn yǐng.
    I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
  • 瞥见。
    Tā piē jiàn chuāng wài yǒu rén jīng guò.
    He glimpsed someone passing by outside the window.
  • ，瞥见。
    Zài rén qún zhōng, wǒ piē jiàn le tā de xiào róng.
    In the crowd, I caught a glimpse of her smile.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

瞥piēglance
见jiànsee

瞥 is a quick glance, and 见 adds the seeing, so a brief glimpse.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
敝
敝bì瞥piē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瞥 pairs 目, meaning eye, with 敝, which gives the sound.

Open 瞥 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →
Appears in
Senses

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