Chinese word

看出

Pronunciation

Pinyinkàn chū

Meaning

  • verbtell

Example

我从他的表情就看出他很累。wǒ cóng tā de biǎo qíng jiù kàn chū tā hěn lèi

I can tell from his expression that he is very tired.

Illustration for 看出 (tell)

More examples

我从这些细节看出他还不够认真。wǒ cóng zhè xiē xì jié kàn chū tā hái bú gòu rèn zhēn

I can tell from these details that he is still not serious enough.

Core concept

A visible sign leads to a recognized fact.

Common phrases

  • 从表情看出cóng biǎo qíng kàn chū

    tell from an expression

  • 看出问题kàn chū wèn tí

    spot a problem

  • 看出区别kàn chū qū bié

    tell the difference

Similar words

发现fā xiàn: Become aware of a fact or event that was previously unknown.
察觉chá jué: Notice a small change, sign, or abnormality.
认出rèn chū: Recognize a person or thing seen before.
看见kàn jiàn: See something directly with the eyes and confirm that it is present.

Definition in Chinese

根据已有信息或外在迹象领会或意识到某个事实或情况，强调从表象推导出结论的过程。gēn jù yí yǒu xìn xī huò wài zài jì xiàng lǐng huì huò yì shí dào mǒu gè shì shí huò qíng kuàng qiáng diào cóng biǎo xiàng tuī dǎo chū jié lùn de guò chéng

Word origin

看 (kàn, "look") + 出 (chū, "out") presents a fact as something that comes out through looking, giving the word its sense of recognizing what signs reveal.

Usage tips

  • English often separates noticing a clue from forming a conclusion, but Chinese can use 看得出 (kàn de chū, "be able to tell") for the whole reasoning process.

Other meanings

  • see throughverb
  • distinguishverb
  • judgeverb

Opposites

  • 看错kàn cuòmisreadverb
  • 误判wù pànmisjudgeverb

Word lists with this word