见世面 (jiàn shì miàn) — to see the world, to gain experience (often by traveling or encountering diverse situations)

Definition

A colloquial verb phrase meaning to broaden one's horizons through real-world experience — typically travel or diverse encounters. Note: 见 here is pronounced jiàn, not jiān.

verb
to see the worldto gain experience (often by traveling or encountering diverse situations)

Examples

  • ，见世面。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài chéng shì zhǎng dà, méi zěn me jiàn shì miàn.
    He grew up in the city and hasn't really seen much of the world.
  • 。
    Zhè cì chū guó de jīng lì ràng wǒ jiàn le dà shì miàn.
    This overseas experience really broadened my horizons.
  • ，见世面。
    Duō chū qù zǒu zǒu, cái néng jiàn shì miàn.
    You have to get out more to see the world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

见jiànsee
世面face of the world
世shìworld面miànface
偏正Modifier + head

'见' (see) and '世面' (face of the world) combine to mean see the world and gain experience.

Characters in this word

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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