a)WATCHto watch something happening, without being involved in it or trying to stop it 旁观 → onlooker
Only one man tried to help us, the rest just looked on in silence.
只有一个人尽力帮助我们,其余的人都只是一声不吭地袖手旁观。
b)look on somebody/something (also look upon somebody/something)THINK/HAVE THE OPINION THAT to consider someone or something in a particular way, or as a particular thing 〔以某种方式〕对待[看待]某人/某物;把某人/某物视为
look on somebody/something as
I look on him as a good friend.
我把他当成好朋友。
look on somebody/something with
Strangers to the village are looked upon with a mixture of fear and suspicion.
人们对到村里来的陌生人既害怕又怀疑。
Examples from the Corpus
look on• Mr Parsons began to cough again, while his wifelooked on helplessly.• Sarah set off after the man, while her friends looked on in amazement.• The women looked on, nodding and smiling.