When I started learning Chinese I was taught that this term would mean I miss you
However have recently seen this been translated different ways into English.
1st
I miss you
2nd
I'm thinking of you
I know the main word here is 想 and I understand it can be used to indicate want, think, suppose, miss depended upon context but for this i'm lost and wanted to seek your guidance on how to interpret this statement 我想你
In this case, miss equals to 想(念)，思念 while think of equals to 想到，想起. So 'I miss you' is the right choice. 'I think of you' means '我想起了你'. But sometimes 'I am thinking of you' is translated into ‘我想着你’.
When one say '我想你(+Adverbial)' or ‘我在想你(+Adverbial)’ as a sentence alone, it means that I miss you or I'm missing you. And when one say '我想你+...', it generally means 'I think you +...'. For example, 我想你很适合这项工作 means I think that you are fit to this work. Another example, 我想你在这个夜里 means I miss you in this night.
Miss has 掛念, 想念 meaning.
Thinking has 思考, 思想, 想起 meaning.
Example:
I miss you. 我掛念你 / 我想你
I miss you so much. 我十分掛念你
I am thinking of you. 我想你 / 我想起你
I am thinking of your ear rings. 我想起你的耳環
I am thinking of my next year plan. 我正在思考來件
"I miss you" is probably the best equivalent, but do be aware that it's often a bit stronger than the corresponding words in English, especially when you are talking to traditional people in China.
