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Comparing 看起来 and 看来 ("kan4qi3lai2" and "kan4lai2")

看起来 kànqilai

Grammar
HSK 4

Structure

Subj. + 看起来 ⋯⋯ Subj. + 看起来 + 像 ⋯⋯ 看来 + Perspective 在 + Person + 看来 + Perspective

Definition

“看起来”和“看来”都表示根据观察或推测得出的判断。区别在于：“看起来”更侧重于视觉上的直观印象，常用于描述外貌、状态等具体可感知的特征，语气较为客观；“看来”则更多根据已知信息或推理得出结论，带有一定的主观推断，语气更确定。

Both '看起来' and '看来' express a judgment based on observation or inference. The difference is: '看起来' emphasizes visual impression, often used to describe appearance or tangible conditions with a relatively objective tone; '看来' is more based on known information or reasoning, implying a stronger subjective inference with a more certain tone.

Usage

“看起来”通常后接形容词或短语，描述视觉上的印象，如“看起来很好吃”；“看来”常置于句首或句中，表示根据情况推断，如“看来要迟到了”。注意：“看起来”不能用于直接推理结论，而“看来”不能用于单纯描述外表。

'看起来' is usually followed by an adjective or phrase describing a visual impression, e.g., '看起来很好吃' (looks delicious); '看来' is often placed at the beginning or middle of a sentence to indicate an inference based on the situation, e.g., '看来要迟到了' (it seems we will be late). Note: '看起来' cannot be used for direct inference, and '看来' cannot be used for pure appearance description.

Examples

  • 1 她看起来特别年轻，完全不像四十多岁的人。 (She looks very young, not at all like someone in her forties.)
  • 2 看来老板对这次的项目很满意，一直在表扬大家。 (It seems the boss is very satisfied with this project, as he keeps praising everyone.)
  • 3 这道菜看起来颜色很鲜艳，但吃起来味道一般。 (This dish looks colorful, but it tastes average.)
  • 4 外面乌云密布，看来很快就会下雨了。 (The sky is cloudy outside; it seems it will rain soon.)
  • 5 他表面看起来很坚强，其实内心很脆弱。 (He looks strong on the surface, but actually he is fragile inside.)
  • 6 既然没人反对，看来大家都同意这个方案。 (Since no one objects, it seems everyone agrees on this plan.)

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