Taxonomy of meanings for 覽:　　

  • 覽 lǎn (OC: ɡ-raamʔ MC: lɑm) 盧敢切 上 廣韻：【視也又姓何氏姓苑云彭城人盧敢切六 】
    • DOCUMENT
      • nsurvey
    • INVESTIGATE
      • vtoNgain an intellectual survey of, investigate comprehensively; make a comprehensive investigative survey of
    • LOOK DOWN
      • vt+prep+Ngaze down upon with appreciation
      • vtoNgaze down upon, look at from above, survey from above, look at appreciatingly from above; to survey from above, synoptically and without attention to detail, taking in a scene in a sweeping movement, at a distance.
      • vtoNfigurativelook down into history
    • READ
      • viactengage in reading
      • vt(oN)read the contextually determinate text
      • vtoNTo survey from above, synoptically and without attention to detail, taking in a scene in a sweep> to peruse a text in a cursory manner.
    • SEE
      • vtoNfocus on; enjoy the sight of
      • vtoSsee from a higher perspective that S
    • SEEK
      • vtoNsearch by way of a survey for something (everywhere)
    • SHOW
      • vtoNcausativeexpose to full view
    • SURVEY
      • viactlook around one appreciatingly
      • vt(oN)look over a determinate object
      • vtoNrun one's eyes all over and appreciate, survey all over with appreciation
      • vtoNfigurativereview intellectually; gain a full intellectual survey of, gain an overview of
      • vt[oN]derivedsurvey all things poetically, spiritually, and aesthetically, envision the aesthetic universe poeticallyCH
    • UNDERSTAND
      • vt(oN)gain a comprehensive intellectual survey and understanding of the determinate thing
      • vtoNunderstand comprehensively;

    Additional information about 覽

    說文解字: 【覽】，觀也。从見、監，監亦聲。 〔小徐本「監」字不重。〕 【盧敢切】

      Criteria
    • LOOK DOWN

      1. The current general word for looking down is lǎn 覽.

      2. Fǔ 俯 refers primarily to facing downwards in order to look down.

    • READ

      1. The general word for reading out a written text (there was probably no silent reading in pre-Buddhist China) was dú 讀. See Platform Sutra Tanjing 2.8.4 for a nice example. NB: reciting texts for oneself was a way of studying these, so that by Han times the word sometimes came close to meaning "study".

      2. Lǎn 覽, guān 觀, and dǔ 睹 can occasionally refer to the running one's eyes over a text (probably mumbling it in the process, but there is no evidence whatever to substantiate this assumption) and thus reading it.

      3. Jiàn 見 can occasionally refer to the looking at a text to see what it says.

      4. Fēng 諷 refers to the current practise of reading a certain text.

    • DOCUMENT

      1. The dominant general word for everything written is shū 書. (However, note that the word also refers specifically to a letter.)

      2. Zhì 志 typically refers to a systematic coherent record.

      3. Jì 記 refers to an ordered record designed to serve as an aide-memoire.

      4. Jí 籍 refers to a formal and official record, typically a population register or a written official statute.

      5. Zhuàn 傳 refers to an explanatory record, typically a record based on or commenting upon other written sources.

      6. Lǎn 覽 refers to a comprehensive survey on a subject.

      7. Xí 檄 refers to a written military command.

      8. Sān chǐ 三尺 refers to the text of a law formally inscribed on large three-foot tablets.

      9. Cè 冊／策 refers to a document, typically in the form of a bundle of bamboo strips.

      NB: Xìn 信 "letter" is post-Han.

    • SURVEY

      1. Guān 觀 is to try to get a detailed careful overview of something and to survey something complex with careful analytic attention.

      2. Lǎn 覽 is to look over something (often with pleasure, and typically from a highe perspective) with careful aesthetic and analytic attention and in order to get a full survey of all there is.

      Word relations
    • Assoc: (SEE)見/SEE The clearly dominant word is jiàn 見 (ant. méng 矇 "unable to see") which refers to any act of successful visual perception.
    • Assoc: (INVESTIGATE)察/INTELLIGENT Chá 察 refers to discriminating investigative intelligence.
    • Assoc: (UNDERSTAND)達/UNDERSTAND
    • Assoc: (SURVEY)觀/SURVEY Guān 觀 is to try to get a detailed careful overview of something and to survey something complex with careful analytic attention.