观 (guān) — to look at, to observe, to view (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
Bound morpheme meaning 'to look at / observe'. Almost always appears inside compounds like 观察, 参观, 观看, never used alone as a verb.
bound form
to look atto observeto view (bound form, used in compounds)
Easily confused
- 现xiànlook-alike(time word) now, currently
- 关guānsound-alike(verb) to close, to shut, to turn off
- 规guīlook-alike(bound morpheme) rule, regulation, standard (in 规定, 规则, 规模)
- 官guānsound-alikegovernment official
- 视shìlook-alike(bound form) to look at, to view
- 冠guānsound-alike(literary) to put on a hat; to crown with
Examples
- 。Kē xué jiā zhèng zài guān cè tiān qì biàn huà.Scientists are observing the weather changes.
- 。Tā zhèng zài guān chá zhí wù shēng zhǎng.He is observing the growth of plants.
- 。Wǒ men cān guān le zhè zuò bó wù guǎn.We visited this museum.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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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