A verb-object compound: 见 (jiàn, "to see / perceive") + 面 (miàn, "face"). Together they literally mean "to see [someone's] face," which in Chinese idiom means to meet in person. Both characters are ancient: 见 appears in oracle-bone script meaning "a person with a prominent eye," and 面 originally depicted a face with a nose at center. The compound has been used in this sense since at least the Tang Dynasty.

In Chinese social culture, 见面 often implies a planned, somewhat intentional encounter rather than a chance meeting (for that, 碰见 pèngjiàn is more natural). When meeting someone for the first time, the phrase 很高兴见到你 ("very happy to meet you") is standard. Note that 见面 is a verb-object (VO) structure, so you cannot directly attach a direct object — you say 跟朋友见面 ("meet with a friend"), not 见面朋友.