(guān chá) - to observe, to watch closely in Mandarin
guāncháTraditional: 觀察
Translation
to observe, to watch closely
Word origin
A compound of 观 (guān, to look at, to view) and 察 (chá, to examine closely), so looking with examination behind it.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 观 (guān, to look at) + 察 (chá, to examine)
Stroke order
观
察
Examples
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The doctor wants to keep him under observation for another day.
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He likes watching the people going past in the street.
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We observed these birds for three months.
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The teacher is watching how the students react.
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The longer you observe, the more you see.
观察 (guān chá) is watching with a purpose: a scientist watching an experiment, a doctor keeping a patient under observation, a person quietly sizing up a room. The attention is deliberate and it lasts.
It carries a noun sense too, in 观察力 (powers of observation) and 观察员 (an observer at talks or a match). 医生观察 is a set piece of hospital language: 住院观察, admitted for observation.
The trap is using it for ordinary looking. 看 covers watching television, reading a book and glancing at someone. Reach for 观察 only when the watching is systematic, and use 检查 when the point is to inspect something for faults rather than to study how it behaves.
Where this fits
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观察: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "观察" (to observe, to watch closely): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.