Chinese word

设想

Pronunciation

Pinyinshè xiǎng

Meaning

  • verbimagine

Example

你能设想明天完全没网络吗？nǐ néng shè xiǎng míng tiān wán quán méi wǎng luò ma

Can you imagine having no internet at all tomorrow?

Illustration for 设想 (imagine)

More examples

我们很难设想未来会发生什么，但可以做好准备。wǒ men hěn nán shè xiǎng wèi lái huì fā shēng shén me dàn ké yǐ zuò hǎo zhǔn bèi

It's hard for us to imagine what will happen in the future, but we can prepare.

Core concept

Mentally set up a possible situation or plan and examine what it would mean.

Common phrases

  • 难以设想nán yǐ shè xiǎng

    hard to imagine

  • 设想未来shè xiǎng wèi lái

    imagine the future

  • 设想结果shè xiǎng jié guǒ

    imagine the outcome

Similar words

假设jiǎ shè: Treat a situation as a possible starting point for reasoning, even without enough evidence.
猜想cāi xiǎng: Guess that something is true without firm evidence.
想象xiǎng xiàng: Form a scene, shape, or situation in the mind.
考虑kǎo lǜ: Think carefully about reasons and results before making a decision.

Definition in Chinese

在脑中设定一个假定的情况或方案并加以考虑。zài nǎo zhōng shè dìng yí gè jiǎ dìng de qíng kuàng huò fāng àn bìng jiā yǐ kǎo lǜ

Word origin

设 (shè, "set up") + 想 (xiǎng, "think") joins the act of setting something in place with thinking about it, giving the word its sense of a considered possibility or plan.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word often sounds deliberate and somewhat formal, so it fits serious discussions of possible situations or plans better than casual daydreaming.

Other meanings

  • ideanoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word