Chinese word

看起来

Pronunciation

Pinyinkàn qǐ lái

Meaning

  • verblook

Example

看起来要下雨了。kàn qǐ lái yào xià yǔ le

It looks like it's going to rain.

Illustration for 看起来 (look)

More examples

这个问题看起来很复杂。zhè ge wèn tí kàn qǐ lái hěn fù zá

This problem looks very complicated.

Core concept

It frames a visible impression as a likely condition or development rather than a definite one.

Common phrases

  • 看起来很有趣kàn qǐ lái hěn yǒu qù

    look interesting

  • 看起来不像以前kàn qǐ lái bú xiàng yǐ qián

    not look like before

  • 看起来差不多kàn qǐ lái chà bu duō

    look about the same

Similar words

好像hǎo xiàng: A feeling that something may be so, based on limited signs or a general impression.
看上去kàn shàng qù: A judgment about a person or thing based on its outward appearance.

Definition in Chinese

根据外表、表情或场景等可见信息作出的推测或印象，表示某事物似乎处于某种状态或将要发生。gēn jù wài biǎo biǎo qíng huò cháng jǐng děng kě jiàn xìn xī zuò chū de tuī cè huò yìn xiàng biǎo shì mǒu shì wù sì hū chǔ yú móu zhǒng zhuàng tài huò jiāng yào fā shēng

Word origin

看 (kàn, "look") + 起来 (qǐlái, "come up") combines visual observation with the way a state presents itself, producing the sense of seeming or looking a certain way.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it often comes before an adjective or a clause about what may happen, making an observation sound less absolute than a flat assertion.

Other meanings

  • seemverb
  • apparentlyverb

Related words

Word lists with this word