梦见

• Pinyin: mèng jiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 梦 = 林 (trees) + 夕 (evening) — evening visions among the trees; 见 = 目 (eye) + 儿 (legs) — to see

Meaning

To dream of; to see in a dream. To experience something in a dream while sleeping.

A verb-complement compound where 梦 (dream) combines with 见 (to see). Used specifically for the content of dreams — what one sees or experiences while sleeping. Typically followed by a person, thing, or clause describing the dream content. Distinguished from 做梦 (to dream, general) which doesn't specify content.

Examples

1. 昨晚我梦见自己在海边散步。 Last night I dreamed of walking by the seaside.
2. 她经常梦见小时候的事情。 She often dreams of things from her childhood.
3. 我昨天梦见你了，你在梦里笑得很开心。 I dreamed of you yesterday — you were laughing happily in the dream.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, personal

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我昨晚梦见了我的老同学。(I dreamed of my old classmate last night.)
• 你有没有梦见过自己会飞？(Have you ever dreamed of being able to fly?)

Don't Say

• 我梦见了做梦 — this is redundant; 梦见 already means 'to dream of seeing something,' so don't add 做梦 on top of it

Origin & History

梦 means 'dream' and 见 means 'to see.' Together they describe seeing something in a dream.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal