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亲眼目睹 (qīn yǎn mù dǔ) — to witness with one's own eyes

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'to witness something with one's own eyes.' Stronger than just 看见 (kànjiàn, to see) — it emphasizes the event was observed personally and directly, often something striking or memorable.

verb
to witness with one's own eyes

Examples

  • 亲眼目睹。
    Wǒ qīn yǎn mù dǔ le nà chǎng jiāo tōng shì gù.
    I witnessed that traffic accident with my own eyes.
  • 亲眼目睹。
    Guān zhòng men qīn yǎn mù dǔ le guàn jūn dàn shēng de shùn jiān.
    The audience witnessed the moment the champion was born with their own eyes.
  • 亲眼目睹。
    Tā wú fǎ xiāng xìn zì jǐ qīn yǎn mù dǔ de yí qiè.
    He couldn't believe everything he had seen with his own eyes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

亲眼with one's own eyes
亲qīnown眼yǎneye
偏正Modifier + head
目睹see with eyes
目mùeye睹dǔsee
偏正Modifier + head

亲 own, 眼 eye, 目 eye, 睹 see combine to mean see with one's own eyes.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →

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
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

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

目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.

Open 目 →

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mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě睹dǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

睹 pairs 目 (eye), related to seeing, with 者 as a part hinting at the sound.

Open 睹 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSenses

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