Difference between revisions of "Comparing "jian" and "jianmian""
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* ～你 <span class="pinyin">～ nǐ</span><span class="trans">to see you</span> | * ～你 <span class="pinyin">～ nǐ</span><span class="trans">to see you</span> | ||
* 明天～ <span class="pinyin">Míngtiān ～</span><span class="trans">see you tomorrow</span> | * 明天～ <span class="pinyin">Míngtiān ～</span><span class="trans">see you tomorrow</span> | ||
* 一会儿～ <span class="pinyin">Yīhuìr ～</span><span class="trans">see you in a while</span> | * 一会儿～ <span class="pinyin">Yīhuìr ～</span><span class="trans">see you in a while</span> | ||
| − | * | + | * ～过两次 <span class="pinyin">～ guo liǎng cì</span><span class="trans">Seen twice</span> |
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Revision as of 01:26, 8 March 2022
Both 见 (jiàn) and 见面 (jiànmiàn) to mean “to see someone” or "to meet up with someone." Sometimes they can be used interchangeably.
| 见 (jiàn) | 见面 (jiànmiàn) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to see someone | to meet face to face |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb |
| Formality | formal and informal | formal and informal |
The key difference between these words is 见 emphasizes to see someone, whereas 见面 emphasizes a to meet up with someone (face to face).
Contents
Similarities
Example Sentences
In the following sentences, 见 and 见面 both can be used interchangeably:
- 我们 明天 几 点 见？ What time will we see you tomorrow?
- 我们 在 咖啡 店 见面 吧。 Let's meet at the coffee shop.
- 我们 很久 没 见面 了。 We haven't seen each other for a long time.
Differences
Common Phrases with 见
These common phrases only work with 见：
- ～你 to see you
- 明天～ see you tomorrow
- 一会儿～ see you in a while
- ～过两次 Seen twice
You'll notice that the English translation "see" feels natural for most of the examples here, although in some cases "meet" might qork as well.
Example Sentences with 见
In the following sentences, only 见 can be used:
Common Mistakes with 见面
The main thing to remember with using 见面 is that you can't follow it with a person.
- 见面 朋友
- 见面 你
- 见面 我
- 见面 他
Example Sentences with 见面
In the following sentences, you can see how 见面 is used correctly:
- 我们 三 个 月 没有 见面 了。 We haven't seen each other for three months.
- 今天 晚上 我 要 和 我的 朋友 见面 。 Tonight I want to meet with my friend.
- 第一 次 见面 后 我们 成 了 朋友 。 After meeting the first time we became friends.
- 我 和 姐姐 很 少 见面 。 I rarely meet up with my big sister.
Advanced Differences
Technically, 见面 (jiànmiàn) is just one way to use 见 (jiàn). 见面 (jiànmiàn) is a special type of Chinese verb-object construct called a “separable verb,” meaning 见 and 面 can be “separated” and other information can be put in the middle. This grammar is a bit complicated, though, and you don't need it as an elementary learner. For a detailed understanding of this type of verb and its usage, see the intermediate-level Chinese Grammar Wiki grammar points on separable verbs.
Sources and further reading
Books
- 1700对近义词语用法对比 第654页
Websites
- HiNative: "见" 和 "见面" 和有什么不一样?
