SURVEY 通觀
LOOK at so as to INVESTIGATE MANY THINGS.
Old Chinese Criteria
Modern Chinese Criteria
觀，覽，望
1. WL finds that the focus of gua1n 觀 is on the subjective attention and la3n 覽 on comprehensiveness of coverage. In fact the main difference is that la3n 覽 is typically downwards from a higher perspective, and that la3n 覽 clearly tends to emphasise an aesthetic dimension of gaining a full view of something whereas gua1n 觀 typically emphasises detailed information gained through observation.
2. WL sees wa4ng 望 as referring to viewing something from a distance. This is true enough, but it is my impression that an important general nuance of the word is complementary to la3n 覽 "gaze down all over", so that wa4ng 望 often comes to mean "look up to from afar", although there are generalised uses where wa4ng 望 refers to looking down into the distance e.g. from a mountain, and at sheep, with no nuances of admiration whatsoever.
3. Note incidentally that la3n 覽 is extremely common from Han times in the meaning "to read with proper appreciation" which is lacking in WL.
Words (8 items)
觀 guān OC: koon MC: kʷɑn 36 Attributions
Guān 觀 is to try to get a detailed careful overview of something and to survey something complex with careful analytic attention.
- Word relations
- Assoc: 遊 / 游/TRAVEL
Yóu 遊／游 refers specifically to travelling for pleasure. - Assoc: 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: 覽/SURVEY
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.
- Syntactic words
- nabactmeditation
- vadNobservation-, as in 觀臺 "observation tower"
- viactlook at and enjoy things, look around; behold 觀者"beholder"
- vt+prep+Nsurvey, go to inspect
- vt+prep+Nfigurativelook upon (somebody); have a view on (somebody)
- vtoNhave a good look at, survey, have a look at and enjoy, visit to have a look at, sound out; poetically: gaze at
- vtoNfigurativelook upon (something); look (on things) SeeBELIEVE.
- vtoNPab{S}enjoy the sight how S
覽 lǎn OC: ɡ-raamʔ MC: lɑm 14 Attributions
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: 觀/SURVEY
Guān 觀 is to try to get a detailed careful overview of something and to survey something complex with careful analytic attention.
- Syntactic words
- viactlook around one appreciatingly
- vt(oN)look over a determinate object
- vt[oN]derivedsurvey all things poetically, spiritually, and aesthetically, envision the aesthetic universe poeticallyCH
- 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
觀樂 guān lè OC: koon ɡ-raawɡ MC: kʷɑn lɑk 3 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPjoys of view> beautiful views
- VPisurvey for pleasureCH
- VPtoNresultativesurvey so as to enjoy
察 chá MC: tsrheat OC: skhreed 2 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- vtoNsurvey and learn all aboutCH
玄覽 xuán lǎn MC: hwen lamX OC: ɡʷeen ɡ-raamʔ 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- VPiactengage in a mystical total poetic vision of thingsCH
瞻 zhān MC: tsyem OC: kljam 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- vtoNsurvey in an investigative spiritCH
Click here to add pinyin MC: OC: 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- vtoNsurvey and learn all aboutCH
Click here to add pinyin MC: OC: 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- vtoNsurvey in an investigative spiritCH