再见
zài jiàn · HSK 1
goodbye
👋 再 = again + 见 = see; goodbye literally means 'see again'
再 (zài) means 'again' and 见 (jiàn) means 'see' or 'meet'. Together 再见 is a parting that promises another meeting — the Mandarin equivalent of 'till we meet again' rather than a final farewell.
再 — top 一 + 冂 frame + 土-like inner strokes
再 originally depicted a stack of fish or piled objects, suggesting accumulation or repetition. Over time it came to mean 'again' or 'once more,' emphasizing a second occurrence of an action. The modern form is stylized and no longer clearly pictographic.
见 — eye 目 over legs 儿 (人)
见 (traditional 見) is a pictograph of a person 儿 with a large eye 目 on top, emphasizing the act of seeing. The original meaning 'to see' broadened over time to include 'to meet,' 'to perceive,' and 'view/opinion.' The simplified form 见 keeps the same structure in cursive shorthand.