核心畫面

Words ending in -ly answer the question in what way, and this one answers it with the eyes. Picture a short channel running from a thing to a pair of eyes. Stand at the eye end and you get the plain meaning: doing the job by looking — showing a diagram, checking a bridge, confirming a runway. Stand at the other end, looking back at the thing, and the same channel gives you the appearance meaning: what the eyes receive, whether it is attractive or dull. And when the channel itself is damaged, English says visually impaired.

可以想成一條從東西通往眼睛的短路。visually 的工作就是指著這條路說:走這裡。站在眼睛這一端看,得到的是最字面更多收起可以想成一條從東西通往眼睛的短路。visually 的工作就是指著這條路說:走這裡。站在眼睛這一端看,得到的是最字面的意思——靠看的去做事:把步驟畫出來、把橋目視檢查一遍、用眼睛確認跑道。換到另一端,回頭看那個東西,同一條路就變成「它送出來的樣子好不好看」。而當這條路本身受損,英文就用 visually impaired 來說。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary records visually as visual plus the adverb ending -ly, so the word literally says in a visual way. That is exactly the channel picture: -ly asks in what way, and visual answers with the eyes.

Wiktionary 記錄 visually 由 visual 加上副詞字尾 -ly 組成,字面就是「以視覺的方式」。這正好對上上面那條路的畫面:-ly 問的是「用什麼方式」,visual 回答「用眼睛」。

Wiktionary entry for visually, etymology tree: visual + -ly (packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1311195408)

From the picture

看起來的樣子

同一條路,換一頭站。不問「怎麼接收」,改問「送到眼睛的那個樣子好不好」,於是整個字就變成專門評論外觀的工具。

r · B2

In the way something looks; used when you are talking about the appearance of a thing rather than about how it works, sounds or feels.

視覺上;外觀上

這條路受損時

如果眼睛這條路本身走不通或不好走,英文用 visually impaired 來說。這裡的 visually 只是標出「受影響的是哪一個感官」,受損的意思是 impaired 帶來的。

r · B2

Unable to see, or able to see only a little. This is the careful, polite wording, and it is what you meet on signs, on forms and in the news.

視障的

Also in this word

r · B2

By using your eyes; by looking at something, or by showing something so that people can take it in by looking.

用眼睛地;以視覺方式