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见闻 (jiàn wén) — knowledge and experience gained from what one has seen and heard

Definition

见闻 (jiànwén) is a noun for what one has seen and heard — the knowledge and experience gained from observation. More concrete and event-based than 见识, which leans toward insight or breadth of understanding.

noun
knowledge and experience gained from what one has seen and heard

Examples

  • 见闻，。
    Tā de jiàn wén hěn guǎng, qù guò hěn duō guó jiā.
    He has a wide range of knowledge and experience from traveling to many countries.
  • 见闻。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng ràng wǒ zēng zhǎng le bù shǎo jiàn wén.
    This trip allowed me to gain a lot of experience and knowledge.
  • 见闻。
    Tīng lǎo rén jiǎng guò qù de jiàn wén hěn yǒu qù.
    Listening to the elderly talk about what they have seen and heard in the past is very interesting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

见jiànsee
闻wénhear

“见” (see) and “闻” (hear) combine to mean what one has seen and heard.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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