In Mandarin Chinese, 看 (kàn), 盯 (dīng), 瞧 (qiáo), and 瞅 (chǒu) are all verbs used to express the act of looking observing or see. While they are all related to the eyes, to see, each verb carries slightly different meanings and usages and is used in specific contexts.
会话 1
妈妈：彼得，别看电视了，我们走吧。
Bǐdé, bié kàn diàn shì le, wǒmen zǒu ba.”
Peter, stop watching TV. Let’s go.
彼得：我们要去哪里？
Bǐdé: Wǒmen yào qù nǎlǐ?
Peter: Where are we going?
妈妈：带你去看牙医啊。你不是说牙疼吗？
Māmā: Dài nǐ qù kàn yáyī a. Nǐ bùshì shuō yá téng ma?
Mom: I’m taking you to see the dentist. Didn’t you say your tooth hurts?
彼得：现在不疼了。好像好了。
Bǐdé: Xiànzài bù téng le. Hǎoxiàng hǎo le.
Peter: It doesn’t hurt now. It seems to be better.
妈妈：你是不是因为不想去上学才装疼的？待会儿看我怎么收拾你。
Māmā: Nǐ shì bùshì yīnwèi bù xiǎng qù shàngxué cái zhuāng téng de? Dàihuì er kàn wǒ zěnme shōushi nǐ.
Mom: Are you pretending to be in pain just because you don’t want to go to school? Wait and see how I deal with you later.
看 kàn and kān
The Chinese word 看 has two pronunciations kàn and kān. When using 看, it means
1. Watch / see / look
她喜欢看棒球赛。Tā xǐ huān kàn bang qiú sài.
She likes watching baseball games.
2. Read
他在树下看书。Tā zài shù xià kànshū.
He is reading a book under the tree.
3. Consult
彼得到诊所看医生。 Bǐdé dào zhěn suǒ kàn yī shēng.
Peter went to the clinic to see a doctor.
4. Visit
她到医院看朋友。Tā dào yī yuàn kàn péng yǒu.
She visited a friend at the hospital.
5. Understand or evaluate what is seen
妈妈看起来很生气. Māma kàn qǐlái hěn shēng qì.
Mom looks very angry.
彼得看得懂汉语。Bǐdé kàn dé dǒng hàn yǔ.
Peter can understand Chinese.
6. use after duplicate verb
让我来想想看今天要煮什么。
Ràng wǒ lái xiǎngxiǎng kàn jīntiān yào zhǔ shén me.
Let me think what to cook today.
会话 2
警察1：你必须盯紧嫌犯，不要让他逃跑了。
Jǐngchá 1: Nǐ bì xū dīng jǐn xián fàn, bù yào ràng tā táo pǎo le.
You must keep a close eye on the suspect and not let him escape.
警察2：知道了。我不会让他跑掉的。
Jǐngchá 2: Zhī dào le. Wǒ bù huì ràng tā pǎodiào de.
Police 2: “Got it. I won’t let him get away.”
嫌犯：警察在盯着我看，我该怎么办好呢？
Xiánfàn: Jǐng chá zài dīng zhe wǒ kàn, wǒ gāi zěn me bàn hǎo ne?
Suspect: “The police are watching me closely. What should I do?”
盯 dīng
The verb “盯” (dīng) in Mandarin Chinese is used to convey the idea of staring at or fixing one’s gaze on something or someone. When the thing you are gazing is an object and not a person, it mostly refers to smaller items or parts of large objects.
The meaning of 盯 can be used in the following ways,
1. Stare (intense concentration)
彼得盯着电脑屏幕很久，不知道在想什么。
Bǐdé dīng zhe diànnǎo píngmù hěn jiǔ, bù zhīdào zài xiǎng shénme.
Peter stared at the computer screen for a long time, do not know what he is thinking.
2. Surveillance or monitoring
警察二十四小时盯着嫌犯，注意他的一举一动。
Jǐng chá èr shí sì xiǎo shí dīng zhe xián fàn, zhù yì tā de yī jǔ yī dòng.
The police kept a close watch on the suspect for 24 hours, paying attention to his every move.
会话 3
小明: 小丽，帮我瞅一下，老师来了没有。
Xiǎo Míng: Xiǎo Lì, bāng wǒ chǒu yīxià, lǎo shī lái le méi yǒu.
Xiao Ming: Xiao Li, help me take a look, has the teacher come?
小丽：干嘛呢？
Xiǎo Lì: Gàn má ne?
Xiao Li: Why?
小明: 我想把这漫画书看完。老师来就不能看了。
Xiǎo Míng: Wǒ xiǎng bǎ zhè mànhuà shū kàn wán. Lǎoshī lái jiù bù néng kàn le.
Xiao Ming: I want to finish reading this comic book. If the teacher comes, I won’t be able to read it.
小丽：好的。我这就去瞅。
Xiǎo Lì: Hǎo de. Wǒ zhè jiù qù chǒu.
Xiao Li: Okay. I’ll go take a look right away.
瞅 chǒu
The Chinese verb “瞅” (chǒu) is a colloquial term and informal contexts to convey the act of taking a quick or casual glance at something. It’s similar to “take a peek” or “have a look” in English. It is a dialect mostly used in the Northern Eastern region of China.
瞅 has the same meaning as 看, but depending on the context that it is used, they are not 100% replaceable. For example,
帮我瞅一下房里有没有人。
Bāng wǒ chǒu yīxià fáng lǐ yǒu méi yǒu rén.
Help me take a look if there’s anyone in the room.”
你瞅啥呢？
Nǐ chǒu shá ne?”
What are you looking at?”
她瞅了彼得一眼就匆匆离开。
Tā chǒu le Bǐdé yī yǎn jiù cōng cōng lí kāi.
She glanced at Peter and then left in a hurry.
*all the above 瞅 can be changed to 看
会话 4
莉莉：我今天在百货公司买了个好东西。
Lìlì: Wǒ jīn tiān zài bǎi huò gōng sī mǎi le gè hǎo dōng xi.
Lily: I bought something good at the department store today.
乔治：什么好东西，让我瞧瞧。
Qiáozhì: Shén me hǎo dōngxi, ràng wǒ qiáo qiáo.
George: What good thing? Let me take a look.
莉莉：瞧了你也不懂。
Lìlì: Qiáo le nǐ yě bù dǒng.
Lily: Even if you look, you won’t understand.
乔治：别瞧不起我。
Qiáozhì: Bié qiáo bùqǐ wǒ.
George: Don’t look down on me.
瞧 qiáo
The Chinese word 瞧 is equivalent to to look at; to see; to visit. It is often with a sense of attention, curiosity, or evaluation. This Chinese term is commonly used as a spoken language.
你瞧见我的包吗？Nǐ qiáo jiàn wǒ de bāo ma?
Did you see my bag?
你敢这样对我，走着瞧。Nǐ gǎn zhè yàng duì wǒ, zǒu zhe qiáo.
You dare treat me like this, just wait and see.
他很高傲，总瞧不起没钱没地位的人。
Tā hěn gāo’ào, zǒng qiáo buqǐ méi qián méi dì wèi de rén.
He is very arrogant, always looking down on people who have no money or status.
瞧，他在树上干什么。Qiáo, tā zài shù shàng gàn shén me.
Look, what is he doing up in the tree?
会话 5
陈太太：李太太，你怎么匆忙到底是要去哪里？
Chén tàitài: Lǐ tài tài, nǐ zěn me cōng máng dào dǐ shì yào qù nǎ lǐ?
Mrs. Chen: Mrs. Li, why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?
李太太：今天我儿子的学校请了一位很有名望的老师到学校讲课。我得赶快去订位，不然就没位子坐了。
Lǐ tàitài: Jīntiān wǒ ér zi de xué xiào qǐngle yī wèi hěn yǒumíngwàng de lǎoshī dào xué xiào jiǎng kè. Wǒ děi gǎn kuài qù dìng wèi, bù rán jiù méi wèi zǐ zuò le.
Mrs. Li: Today, a very prestigious teacher is coming to my son’s school to give a lecture. I have to rush to reserve a seat, otherwise, there won’t be any left.
陈太太：原来如此。我刚从远处望着你，还以为你家里着火了呢。
Chén tàitài: Yuán lái rú cǐ. Wǒ gāng cóng yuǎn chù wàng zhe nǐ, hái yǐ wéi nǐ jiā lǐ zháo huǒ le ne?
Mrs. Chen: I see. I just saw you from afar and thought there was a fire at your house.
李太太：呸呸呸，大吉利事。不跟你多说了，我得走了。改天再聊。
Lǐ tài tài: Pēi pēi pēi, dà jílì shì. Bù gēn nǐ duō shuō le, wǒ děi zǒu le. Gǎi tiān zài liáo.
Mrs. Li: knock on wood. I won’t talk to you more about it, I have to go. Let’s chat another day.
望 wàng
The term “望” (wàng) has several meanings in Chinese depending on the context in which it is used. 望 cannot be used alone, unlike 看. You cannot say 你望，but you can say 你看。
1. To gaze (into the distance)
她向远处望去，希望能看到富士山。
Tā xiàng yuǎn chù wàng qù, xī wàng néng kàn dào Fù shì shān.
She looks into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji.
*the first 望 means to gaze into the distance. The second望 means hope, to wish for.
2. To visit
玛丽飞到美国看望她的父母。
Mǎ lì fēi dào Měi guó kàn wàng tā de fù mǔ.
Mary flew to the United States to visit her parents.
3. To mean reputation or prestige
李先生是城市里最有明望的人。
Lǐ xiān shēng shì chéng shì lǐ zuì yǒu míng wàng de rén.
Mr. Li is the most reputable person in the city.”
*you can change 望 to 看 for sentence 1 and 2. 她向远处看，希望能看到富士山。玛丽飞到美国看她的父母。
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