辞書 and 辞典: shared dictionary lookup and modifiers
Read unfamiliar-word lookup in both dictionaries and the small English dictionary or old character dictionary on a desk. Learn their readings and actual modifiers without exclusive subject or medium rules.
Different readings and a shared function
辞書 (じしょ) and 辞典 (じてん) both mean dictionary in the supplied material. Their forms and readings differ, while looking up an unfamiliar word is a function shown by both.
English and Chinese characters modify the particular dictionaries described. They do not restrict 辞書 to English or 辞典 to characters. These examples also do not establish exclusive academic, everyday, or medium-based categories.
Lookup in 辞書 and an English dictionary
「分からない言葉を辞書で調べた。」 — “I looked up an unfamiliar word in the dictionary.” The action is looking up an unfamiliar word in 辞書. Word lookup is not presented as a function exclusive to this dictionary name.
「机の上に小さな英語辞書が置いてある。」 — “A small English dictionary lies on the desk.” 小さな and 英語 specify the dictionary lying on the desk. Its stated location and condition do not report an actual lookup or learning result.
Lookup in 辞典 and a character dictionary
「知らない言葉を辞典で調べた。」 — “I looked up the unknown word in a dictionary.” This sentence also reports looking up an unfamiliar word in a dictionary. Compare the shared lookup function in the first examples for 辞典 and 辞書.
「机に古い漢字辞典がある。」 — “There is an old dictionary of Chinese characters on the desk.” 古い and 漢字 describe the particular dictionary's age and character subject. They do not define an exclusive subject or place of use for 辞典.
What function do the two word-lookup examples share, and what do the modifiers in 小さな英語辞書 and 古い漢字辞典 describe?
Show the answer and why
Both show looking up an unfamiliar word in a dictionary. The modifiers describe the particular dictionary's size or age and language or character subject; they do not make that subject exclusive to either dictionary name.