Chinese word

按说

Pronunciation

Pinyinàn shuō

Meaning

  • adverbnormally

Example

按说他今天会来。àn shuō tā jīn tiān huì lái

Normally, he will come today.

Illustration for 按说 (normally)

More examples

按说合同没问题，可以签字。àn shuō hé tóng méi wèn tí ké yǐ qiān zì

Normally, the contract should be fine, so it can be signed.

Core concept

A situation is viewed through the usual rule, so the result seems expected but is not guaranteed.

Common phrases

  • 按说会来àn shuō huì lái

    should normally come

  • 按说没问题àn shuō méi wèn tí

    should normally be fine

  • 按说显得合理àn shuō xiǎn de hé lǐ

    should normally seem reasonable

Similar words

应该yīng gāi: Expresses a firm expectation or judgment supported by facts, rules, or the situation.
大概dà gài: Gives a rough guess that something is true without claiming certainty.
应当yīng dāng: States in a relatively formal way that reason or duty makes something proper or expected.
一般来说yì bān lái shuō: Frames an observation as a broad rule about usual situations or general patterns.

Definition in Chinese

根据常规或通常情形来判断，表示按理应当如此，但多含推测性而非绝对断定的意味。gēn jù cháng guī huò tōng cháng qíng xíng lái pàn duàn biǎo shì àn lǐ yīng dāng rú cǐ dàn duō hán tuī cè xìng ér fēi jué duì duàn dìng de yì wèi

Word origin

按 (àn, "according to") + 说 (shuō, "to say") presents a conclusion as what ordinary reasoning would say, which explains its tentative expectation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this adverb often prepares for a contrast between an expected result and what actually happens.

Other meanings

  • generallyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word