看不到 (kàn bú dào) — cannot see, unable to see

Definition

看不到 is a resultative verb meaning 'can't see / unable to see' — it combines 看 with the negative potential complement 不到, so 不到 also appears after other verbs (e.g. 找不到, 听不到) to mean 'can't reach/get'.

verb
cannot seeunable to see

Examples

  • 看不到。
    Wǒ kàn bú dào yuǎn chù de shān.
    I can't see the mountain in the distance.
  • ，看不到。
    Tiān tài hēi, tā kàn bú dào lù.
    It's too dark, he can't see the road.
  • 看不到？
    Nǐ kàn bú dào nà ge zì ma?
    Can't you see that character?

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →
Appears in
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