浏览

• Pinyin: liú lǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 浏 = 氵+ 刘 (flowing, clear); 览 = 见 (see) + 监 (supervise, survey)

Meaning

To browse; to skim. To look through information, a website, or a document quickly and without reading in depth.

Used for both digital browsing (web pages, social media feeds) and casual reading of physical materials. In digital contexts, often paired with 浏览器 (browser) or 网页 (webpage). Implies a light, exploratory engagement rather than focused study.

Examples

1. 他每天早晨习惯浏览新闻头条，了解国内外的最新动态。 Every morning, he makes a habit of browsing the headlines to keep up with the latest developments at home and abroad.
2. 她在购物网站上浏览了大量商品，最终选定了几件心仪的衣物。 She browsed a huge number of items on the shopping site and finally chose a few outfits she really liked.
3. 浏览这份报告时，他发现了几处与事实不符的数据，立即做了标注。 While skimming the report, he found several data points that didn’t match the facts and marked them right away.

Usage Guide

Context: digital, reading, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请浏览以下页面，了解我们的服务详情。(Please browse the following pages to learn about our services.)
• 她睡前习惯浏览一下社交媒体，看看朋友们的动态。(She habitually browses social media before bed to catch up with friends.)

Don't Say

• 把浏览和阅读混用 — 浏览 implies a quick, superficial scan, while 阅读 suggests careful, thorough reading; using 浏览 for deep study sounds dismissive (Don't use 浏览 when thorough reading is intended — use 阅读 or 研读 for careful study)

Origin & History

浏 (clear and flowing water; to flow past) + 览 (to look at, survey) — to pass one's eyes over something as water flows past.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal