Chinese word

目睹

Pronunciation

Pinyinmù dǔ

Meaning

  • verbwitness

Example

我亲眼目睹了那只鸟落在窗台上。wǒ qīn yǎn mù dǔ le nà zhǐ niǎo luò zài chuāng tái shàng

I saw that bird land on the windowsill myself.

Illustration for 目睹 (witness)

More examples

我亲眼目睹真相大白的那一刻。wǒ qīn yǎn mù dǔ zhēn xiàng dà bái de nà yí kè

I witnessed the moment when the truth came to light with my own eyes.

Core concept

Seeing an event directly through one's own eyes, with no reliance on another person's report.

Common phrases

  • 亲眼目睹qīn yǎn mù dǔ

    witness firsthand

  • 目睹现场mù dǔ xiàn chǎng

    witness the scene

  • 目睹真相mù dǔ zhēn xiàng

    witness the truth

Similar words

亲眼看到qīn yǎn kàn dào: Directly see a person, thing, event, or situation with one's own eyes.
目击mù jī: Personally see an event or accident as it happens at the scene.
看到kàn dào: See an object or event by looking at it.
见到jiàn dào: See a person or thing when it comes into view.

Definition in Chinese

用自己的眼睛看到，亲自看到某一事件或情形，侧重亲眼见到而非听说。yòng zì jǐ de yǎn jīng kàn dào qīn zì kàn dào mǒu yí shì jiàn huò qíng xíng cè zhòng qīn yǎn jiàn dào ér fēi tīng shuō

Word origin

目睹 (mùdǔ, "witness") is formed from 目 (mù, "eye") and 睹 (dǔ, "to see"), so its structure highlights seeing an event with one's own eyes.

Usage tips

  • For everyday speech, its tone is more formal than the ordinary verbs used for simple seeing, so it often appears in reports or serious accounts.

Other meanings

  • see firsthandverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word