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目送 (mù sòng) — to watch someone leave (with one's eyes), to follow with one's gaze as someone departs

Definition

Literary verb: to watch someone leave with your eyes, following them until they disappear from view. Stronger emotional weight than 看, often used in writing about parting or farewell.

verb
to watch someone leave (with one's eyes), to follow with one's gaze as someone departs

Examples

  • ，目送。
    Tā zhàn zài mén kǒu, mù sòng zhe ér zi shàng le chē.
    She stood at the door, watching her son get into the car.
  • 目送，。
    Wǒ mù sòng zhe huǒ chē màn màn yuǎn qù, zhí dào kàn bú jiàn le.
    I watched the train slowly disappear until I couldn't see it anymore.
  • ，目送。
    Lǎo rén zhàn zài qiáo tóu, mù sòng zhe hái zi men de shēn yǐng xiāo shī zài xī yáng lǐ.
    The old man stood at the head of the bridge, watching the children's figures disappear into the sunset.

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.

目mùeyes
送sòngsee off

目 is eyes and 送 is seeing off, so it means following someone with the eyes.

Characters in this word

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
灷
灷zhuàn送sòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

送 combines 辶, the walking radical, with 灷, which supplies the sound; the walking part fits meanings like see off or deliver.

Open 送 →
Appears in
Senses

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