临 lín — to face; to overlook; to arrive; to be (just) about to; just before
临走前，他和大家一一道别。Lín zǒu qián, tā hé dà jiā yī yī dào bié.Before leaving, he said goodbye to everyone one by one.
Common words: 面临 (miàn lín)、临时 (lín shí)、光临 (guāng lín)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to overlook"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to overlook", including 临 (lín), 忘 (wàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to overlook" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 临 (lín), 忘 (wàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lín, wàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 临 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 临 línto face; to overlook; to arrive; to be (just) about to; just beforeUseful words: 面临, 临时
- 忘 wàngto forget; to overlook; to neglectUseful words: 忘记, 难忘
Common words for these 2 "to overlook" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 临 (lín) — so "to overlook" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to overlook".
忘 wàng — to forget; to overlook; to neglect
我忘记带作业了。Wǒ wàng jì dài zuò yè le.I forgot to bring my homework.
Common words: 忘记 (wàng jì)、难忘 (nán wàng)、备忘录 (bèi wàng lù)
All 2 characters
Open 临、忘 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.