what does しにみえてる mean?

Question

The phrase in question is: 広瀬さんが指導碁をお願いしにみえてるんだけど　

In context, I think it means something like "Hirose-san came to ask for a teaching game, but..." but I still have not been able to break down my understanding of this phrase to my own satisfaction.

It is the form しにみえてる that I am stuck on. As I understand it, にみえる usually means that something appears a certain way (appears to be asking for a teaching game?), but in that case then I would expect the form て見える or ように見える when attached to a verb, I have not been able to find this form of 連用形 + に見える。

I also understand that v1連用形 + に + v2 means to do v2 for the purpose of v1, for example 見に行く means to go see something. But it seems this only applies to movement verbs like 行く and 見える is not such a verb.

I also thought of てみる (trying to ask for a teaching game?) but I don't think that makes sense here either and anyway there is no て form.

Thanks again for all your help.

Answer 1

This 見える is an honorific version of (訪ねて)来る. You can think of it as a slightly less polite variant of お見えになる.

み・える【見える】

［動ア下一］［文］み・ゆ［ヤ下二］

５ 「来る」の尊敬語。おいでになる。いらっしゃる。「先生が―・えました」

Thus, this 見える is a movement verb, and the grammar of 見に行く applies in this case, too.