了解 -- 理解 difference?

[kudra]

I came across the word 理解in chap. 13 of David and Helen in China.

Here are the instances of how it's used in the chapter.

龍的神話可能是古代的人對自然現象不理解的結果。。。

他很理解我。

他很理解我的想法

。。。。。。我的做法

。。。。。。我的感情

。。。。。。我的態度

我不理解他為什麼這麼做。

我需要他的理解。

At first glance it looks like I can I substitute 了解 for 理解, although

possibly not as a noun as in the last example. I'm not sure though.

Although it seems to be "new vocabulary" it is absent from the D+H chapter 13 new word list and the glossary at the back of the book. Oddly, 了解 is introduced in Chapter 11 and appears in the glossary.

My impression is that 理解describes a deeper understanding than 了解, but

that could be because my familiarity with 理解 is less.

Or possibly 了解 is less formal?

Or possibly 了解 is used in Taiwan and 理解is Mainland usage?

Comments?

[chenpv]

My impression is that 理解describes a deeper understanding than 了解

Your understanding is correct. I should say you have established a sense of Chinese. and you ARE doing a really great job. So I just want to add a little more about these two words:

了解：(1) means 'to know or realise superficially, even though you have a clear idea'. or 'a primary understanding of sth. /sb.'

eg: 他应该了解当时的情况。

and in certain circumstances, we use it to express self-deprecation or self-abasement.

eg: 我只是大概了解中国历史，怎敢自称这方面的专家啊。

(2) means 'to know better through investigation or research'. you use this word as a soft command/suggestion or to express self-confidence.

eg: 我想请XX同志去基层了解人民生活状况，大家觉得怎么样？(to nominate a person)

eg: 据我了解，这件事很有可能成功。(note the subtext: even though I havent seen through the whole thing, I am quite sure that it will succeed according to my limited data at hand.)

理解：means 'to understand and support thoroughly and always with substantiated evidences.'

eg: 我完全理解这个概念。

他理解我的做法。（'He' is either my closest friend or thorough supporter）

他了解我的做法。（'He' knows my idea to some extent, but he maybe disagrees with me.）

[Chineseteacher]

simply 了解 means to get to know sb or sth, or know sb or sth while 理解 means understand sb or sth or have a deep understanding of sth or sb.

you can compare:

我了解他

我理解他

[erong]

了解 means aquaintance

理解 means understand (theroy...)

In classroom, knowledge points to be 理解 is often of more importance than those to be 了解

[lingo-ling]

Yes, this is an old topic. 7 years? But I had to comment:

了解 can mean "to understand", but it's often used in the sense of "to gain a better understanding (of)".

[tooironic]

This is my understanding, which I've confirmed with a couple of native speaker friends:

了解：to get to know sb or sth; e.g. 我了解了事实的真相。("I know the real facts of the situation."), 我非常了解这个老朋友。("I know my old friend really well."), 了解外国文化 ("to get to know about [i.e. to learn about] foreign cultures").

理解：to understand; to comprehend; e.g. 我理解这个原理。("I understand this principle."), 阅读理解 ("reading comprehension").

I checked four different online Chinese-Chinese dictionaries [1, 2, 3, 4] and none them provided a detailed explanation of 理解 unfortunately. I guess native speakers would never worry or be confused about the difference. If you're in a situation where you're not sure which one to use, my advice would be to try 了解 as its usage is more flexible.

[Kenny同志]

“理解”應為根據道理弄明白之義。理：道理；解：弄明白。

“不可理喻”即不可以道理使其明白之義，比喻人愚昧或蠻橫，不通情理。