Comparing "kanqilai" and "kanlai"

Both 看起来 (kànqǐlái) and 看来 (kànlái) have the meanings, "it looks like" and "to seem," but they have different usages. Whereas 看起来 indicates a reaction to a physical sight, 看来 expresses a user's understanding of a situation.

看起来 Describes a Physical Appearance

看起来 is used to describe physical appearances. In other words, one can use 看起来 to literally describe what something "looks like."

Structure

Subj. + 看起来 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 蛋糕 看起来 很 好吃 。Dàngāo kànqǐlái hěn hǎochī.This cake looks really tasty.
• 这 家 餐厅 看起来 不错。Zhè jiā cāntīng kànqǐlái bùcuò.This restaurant looks good.
• 你 男朋友 看起来 很 成熟 。Nǐ nánpéngyou kànqǐlái hěn chéngshú.Your boyfriend seems very mature.
• 老板 看起来 有点 不 高兴 。Lǎobǎn kànqǐlái yǒudiǎn bù gāoxìng.The boss seems a little unhappy.
• 你们 看起来 差不多 高 。Nǐmen kànqǐlái chàbuduō gāo.You two seem to be the same height.

看来 When Assessing a Situation

看来 can be used by a speaker to indicate his/her understanding of a situation. Note that 看来 is used in a manner, such that the speaker isn't necessarily indicating the physical appearance of anything. Rather, 看来 employs more of an abstract reading for how a situation "seems like."

Structure

看来 + Perspective

Examples

• 看来他不来了，都这么晚了。It seems he's not coming. It's already so late.
• 看来你玩得不高兴，怎么这么早就回来了？I guess you didn't have a good time. Is that why you came back so early?
• 现在看来，事情没那么糟。Now it looks like things aren't that bad.

看来 as "From X's Perspective"

看来 also holds the form of expressing one's perspective. A more literal translation would be "the way one sees it..." The full form is mainly used in formal writing and speaking.

在 + Person + 看来 + Perspective

Examples

• 在我看来，不 会 花 钱 的 人 就 不 会 享受 生活。The way I see it, people who won't spend money aren't going to enjoy life.
• 在他看来，公司 大小 不重要，重要的是老板好不好。According to him, the size of the company isn't important. What's important is whether or not the boss is good.