旁观 (páng guān) — to look on; to be an onlooker | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

As a verb meaning 'to look on, be an onlooker,' it implies staying on the sidelines without joining in or taking sides — distinct from 看 which is just 'to look/watch.'

verb

to look onto be an onlooker

Examples

旁观，。
Tā zhǐ shì páng guān, méi yǒu cān yù tǎo lùn.
He just looked on and didn't take part in the discussion.
旁观，。
Hěn duō rén xuǎn zé páng guān, bú yuàn biǎo tài.
Many people choose to look on and are unwilling to take a stand.
，。
Zuò wéi páng guān zhě, tā kàn qīng le zhēn xiàng.
As an onlooker, he saw the truth clearly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

旁 means side and 观 means watch; watching from the side means looking on without taking part.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng旁páng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 旁, 方 is the lower part and gives the sound. The upper part is unclear and may have been part of the meaning.

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.

Appears in

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