见到
jiàndào · HSK 2
to see
👀 见 = see + 到 = arrive; together: seeing-arrives = catch sight of, meet
见到 pairs 见 (to see) with 到 (to arrive/reach), so the sight successfully lands — you don't just look, you actually meet or perceive the thing. Common for meeting people: 很高兴见到你 = nice to meet you.
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.
到 — 刂 knife + 至 (phonetic, 'arrive')
到 is a semantic-phonetic compound. 至 ('to arrive') gives both meaning and sound, while 刂 (knife) was added later, likely as a phonetic reinforcer or to distinguish the written form. The core sense 'to arrive, reach' comes directly from 至, and 到 has carried that meaning since early script forms.