观看 (guān kàn) — to watch; to view | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

观看 is a more formal way to say 'watch / view' a performance, show, or event. Use 看 for everyday watching; 观看 fits speeches, matches, movies, and ceremonies.

verb

to watchto view

Examples

观看。
Wǒ zuó wǎn guān kàn le yí bù hěn hǎo kàn de diàn yǐng.
I watched a very good-looking movie last night.
观看。
Dà jiā yì qǐ qù guān kàn lán qiú bǐ sài ba.
Let's all go watch a basketball game together.
观看。
Zuó tiān wǒ men zài cāo chǎng guān kàn le yì chǎng hěn yǒu yì si de zú qiú bǐ sài.
Yesterday we watched a very interesting football match on the playground yesterday.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

观 means look and 看 means look, so together they mean to watch.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 觀; 观 is its simplified writing.

雚見觀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

見見jiànsee

Sound part声符shēngfú

雚

雚guàn觀guān

Same sound today

The traditional form 觀 uses 見 (see) for meaning and 雚 for sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

手手shǒuhand
目目mùeye

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Appears in

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