Definition
亲眼目睹 is a formal four-character verb phrase meaning 'to witness something with your own eyes'. It combines 亲眼 ('with one's own eyes') and 目睹 ('to witness'), so it emphasizes personal, direct observation. You typically use it for significant events or situations that you actually saw happen, not for everyday seeing. It can take an object directly (亲眼目睹了某事). The pronunciation is qīn yǎn mù dǔ — note that each character keeps its full tone.
v.p.
to witness with one's own eyes
Examples
- 亲眼目睹。Wǒ qīn le nà chǎng jiāotōng shìgù.I witnessed that traffic accident with my own eyes.
- 亲眼目睹。Guānzhòng men qīn le guànjūn dànshēng de shùnjiān.The audience witnessed the moment the champion was born with their own eyes.
- 亲眼目睹。Tā wúfǎ xiāngxìn zìjǐ qīn de yíqiè.He couldn't believe everything he had seen with his own eyes.
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