视 is a Chinese character with HSK 1 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
视 is a phono-semantic compound that does not appear in oracle bone script as a distinct form. The traditional form 視 combines 見 (to see, itself a pictograph of a person 儿 with an exaggerated eye 目 on top) as the semantic element with 示 (altar, ancestral spirits) as the phonetic. The simplified form 视 keeps 示 and replaces 見 with the reduced 见.
Form evolution
The phonetic 示 and semantic 見 appear separately in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, but the combined graph 視 stabilises in seal script as a left-right compound. Clerical script squared off the curves of 見 and regularised 示 into four straight strokes. In 1956 the PRC simplification reform reduced 見 to 见, producing the modern 视.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense was active looking or inspecting, often in ritual or official contexts (a magistrate 'viewing' a case, an emperor 'viewing' the troops). This broadened into general vision and then into the abstract sense of regarding something as something, as in 视为 (to regard as) and 重视 (to attach importance to). Modern Mandarin keeps all three layers: the physical (电视 television), the evaluative (视力 eyesight), and the attitudinal (轻视 to look down on).
Cultural note
The pairing with 示 is semantically live: classical 视 often implied seeing with intent or judgement, which survives in 视察 (to inspect) and 监视 (to surveil). Learners sometimes confuse 视 with 看; 看 is the neutral everyday verb, while 视 is bound and bookish, appearing mostly in compounds.
Basic info
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #235 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 视
On the new HSK 1 exam
Studying for HSK 1? Keep 视 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.