Chinese word

好像

Pronunciation

Pinyinhǎo xiàng

Meaning

  • adverbseem

Example

他好像不在家。tā hǎo xiàng bú zài jiā

He seems not to be at home.

Illustration for 好像 (seem)

More examples

他好像是老师。tā hǎo xiàng shì lǎo shī

He seems to be a teacher.

Core concept

Something noticed points toward a familiar picture, without proving that the picture is correct.

Common phrases

  • 好像是hǎo xiàng shì

    seem to be

  • 好像不在hǎo xiàng bú zài

    seem not to be there

Similar words

看起来kàn qǐ lái: Describes an outward appearance that makes something seem to have a certain quality or state.
大概dà gài: Gives a rough guess about a fact, amount, or number rather than an exact figure.
似乎sì hū: Expresses an uncertain impression or conclusion in a somewhat formal or written style.

Definition in Chinese

常位于主语之后、动词之前，表示根据迹象作出的不确定判断，含保留语气，多用于口语对话。cháng wèi yú zhú yǔ zhī hòu dòng cí zhī qián biǎo shì gēn jù jì xiàng zuò chū de bú què dìng pàn duàn hán bǎo liú yǔ qì duō yòng yú kóu yǔ duì huà

Word origin

The compound 好像 (hǎoxiàng, "seem") uses 好 (hǎo, "seemingly") rather than "good," while 像 (xiàng, "resemble") supplies the idea of being alike.

Usage tips

  • A sound, an action, or a whole situation can give rise to this word, not just the way a person or object looks.

Other meanings

  • look likeverb
  • be similar toverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word