Definition
看透 is a resultative verb compound: 看 (see) + 透 (through/completely). It means to see through deception (看透阴谋) or to understand a person's true nature (看透一个人). A further idiomatic sense is 'to be resigned to what is inevitable' (看透人生) — often about accepting the futility of worldly pursuits, a theme in Chinese philosophy. In all uses, you can place the object directly after 看透 without a preposition.
r.v.
to see through (a trick, conspiracy, or hidden motive)to thoroughly understand (a person or situation)to be resigned to what is inevitableto see through the vanities of life
Examples
- 看透。Wǒ zǎojiù kàn tòu le tā de huǎngyán.I saw through his lie long ago.
- ,看透。Jīngguò zhè jiàn shì, wǒ zhōngyú kàn tòu le tā zhège rén.After this incident, I finally saw through her true character.
- 看透,。Hěnduō lǎorén dào wǎnnián cái kàn tòu rénshēng, bú zài jìjiào déshī.Many elderly people only see through life in their later years and stop caring about gains and losses.
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