不见

bújiàn

not to see

HSK 3

Character Breakdown

Usage of 不见

The phrase 不见 (bújiàn) primarily means "not to be seen" or "to disappear." It is often used to describe someone or something that is missing or no longer visible.

Common contexts

  1. To indicate disappearance or absence, especially when someone does not show up as expected: "不见" (He disappeared).
  2. To express that something is not visible or is hard to see, often due to blurriness or obstruction.
  3. To describe a failure to meet or encounter someone as planned.

Collocations and patterns

  • 不见: emphasizes that something or someone has disappeared.
  • 不见: means "not to meet," used when two parties do not meet.
  • 几乎不见: "almost not visible," used to describe something very faint or unclear.

Notes

不见 is often interchangeable with 不见 (cannot see) when referring to visibility, but 不见 can also imply disappearance or absence, which 不见 does not. It is a neutral expression and commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese.

Example Sentences

他已经不见了,没人知道他去了哪里。

Tā yǐjīng bújiàn le, méi rén zhīdào tā qù le nǎlǐ.

He has already disappeared; no one knows where he went.

我们约好下午三点见面,可他一直不见。

Wǒmen yuēhǎo xiàwǔ sān diǎn jiànmiàn, kě tā yīzhí bújiàn.

We agreed to meet at 3 p.m., but he never showed up.

这张照片上的字太模糊了,几乎不见了。

Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn shàng de zì tài móhú le, jīhū bújiàn le.

The characters on this photo are too blurry; they are almost invisible.