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眼见为实 (yǎn jiàn wéi shí) — Seeing is believing

Definition

idiom
Seeing is believing

Examples

  • ，眼见为实！
    Nǐ bú yào xìn bié rén de huà, yǎn jiàn wéi shí a!
    Don't believe what others say — seeing is believing!
  • ，眼见为实。
    Zhǐ yǒu qīn yǎn kàn dào cái néng xiāng xìn, zhēn de shì yǎn jiàn wéi shí.
    Only by seeing with your own eyes can you believe — truly, seeing is believing.
  • ，眼见为实。
    Rén men cháng shuō bǎi wén bù rú yí jiàn, qí shí yě jiù shì yǎn jiàn wéi shí de dào lǐ.
    People often say "hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once", which is actually the principle of seeing is believing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

眼见eyes see
眼yǎneye见jiànsee
主谓Subject + predicate
为实be true
为wèibe实shítrue
补充Verb + complement

眼见, eyes see, joins with 为实, be true, yielding seeing is believing.

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.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 實; 实 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánroof
  • 周周zhōucarved jade
  • 貝貝bèishellfish; cowrie

The traditional form 實 has 宀 'roof' above 周 'carved jade' and 貝 'cowrie'; the simplified 实 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 实 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSenses

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