HSK · Level 73
60 words
Chinese word
仿佛
Pronunciation
Pinyinfǎng fú
Meaning
- adverbas if
Example
门外仿佛有人来过。mén wài fǎng fú yǒu rén lái guò
It seems as if someone has been outside the door.
More examples
花仿佛在招手。huā fǎng fú zài zhāo shǒu
The flowers seem to be waving.
Core concept
A small clue creates the impression that reality matches an imagined scene.
Common phrases
仿佛在fǎng fú zài
as if doing
仿佛一样fǎng fú yí yàng
just like
仿佛要fǎng fú yào
as if about to
Similar words
好像hǎo xiàng: Widely used in conversation to say that a situation gives a certain impression.
似乎sì hū: Expresses an uncertain inference drawn from reported or observed information.
Definition in Chinese
用于根据感觉、听到的声音或看到的痕迹做出含糊的推断，语气委婉，相当于“好像”“似乎”。yòng yú gēn jù gǎn jué tīng dào de shēng yīn huò kàn dào de hén jì zuò chū hán hú de tuī duàn yǔ qì wéi wǎn xiāng dāng yú hǎo xiàng sì hū
Word origin
仿佛 (fǎngfú, "as if") is the modern written form of 彷彿 (fǎngfú, "seeming"), a word built around the idea of looking alike or appearing to be so.
Usage tips
- Its tone fits descriptions and recollections where the speaker leaves room for another explanation instead of presenting an impression as fact.
Other meanings
- seeminglyadverb
Opposites
- 实际上shí jì shàngactuallyadverb
- 确实què shíindeedadverb