览 (lǎn) — (bound form) to look at, view; to display, exhibit
Definition
览 (lǎn) is a bound form meaning 'to look at, view' — it only appears in compounds like 游览 (to tour), 展览 (exhibition), and 阅览 (to read). It is never used alone.
bound form
to look atviewto displayexhibit
Examples
- 。Wǒ qù guò hěn duō dì fāng yóu lǎn.I have traveled to many places.
- 。Zhè ge zhǎn lǎn hěn jīng cǎi.This exhibition is wonderful.
- 。Tā měi tiān qù yuè lǎn shì kàn shū.He goes to the reading room every day to read.
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 覽; 览 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān覽lǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 覽 uses 見, meaning see, for the sense and 監 for the sound; the simplified 览 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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