遥看
Seeing from far off
日照香炉生紫烟,遥看瀑布挂前川。
Sunlight on Incense Burner Peak raises a purple mist; from far off the waterfall hangs before the river.
全唐诗 · 李白《望廬山瀑布水二首 二》
· our translation原文作「遙」
Only from a distance does the whole waterfall show. 遥 here is the wide view that distance buys.
「遥看」是站在远处看,所以才看得见全貌——瀑布像挂着的白练。名字里的「遥」,这一层是距离带来的视野。
遥望
The far shore
遥望洞庭山水翠,白银盘里一青螺。
Gazing far across Dongting, the hills and water are green — a single blue snail on a silver plate.
全唐诗 · 劉禹錫《望洞庭》
· our translation原文作「遙」
Liu Yuxi sees all of Dongting as a silver plate with one blue snail on it: far view, not dim view.
刘禹锡把八百里洞庭看成一只银盘,君山是一枚青螺。「遥望」不是看不见,是看得见整体。
逍遥遥远辽阔知遥遥青遥岑
In a name
Scale: stand further back, and you see the whole thing.
「遥」给名字的是尺度:站得远一点,才看得完整。