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.

看起来 When Using an Analogy

看起来 can also be used to express how something "looks like" something else. But unlike the previous usage of 看起来, and with the help of "像," we can explicitly state what the object looks like.

Structure

Subj. + 看起来 + 像 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 你 妈妈 真 年轻 ！看起来 像 你 姐姐 。Nǐ māma zhēn niánqīng! Kànqǐlái xiàng nǐ jiějie.Your mother is so young! She looks like your older sister.
• 我 看起来 像 不 像 大 老板 ？Wǒ kànqǐlái xiàng bu xiàng dà lǎobǎn.Do I look like a big boss?
• 你们 俩 看起来 像 情侣 。Nǐmen liǎ kànqǐlái xiàng qínglǚ.You two look like a couple.
• 他们 看起来 不 像 有钱 人 。Tāmen kànqǐlái bù xiàng yǒuqián rén.They don't seem like rich people.
• 那 个 喝醉 的 男人 看起来 像 你 老公 。Nà gè hēzuì de nánrén kànqǐlái xiàng nǐ lǎogōng.That drunk guy looks like your husband.

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。 Kànlái tā bù láile, dōu zhème wǎnle.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？ Kànlái nǐ wán dé bù gāoxìng, zěnme zhème zǎo jiù huíláile.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。Xiànzài kànlái, shìqíng méi nàme zāo. 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.

Example Dialog

A good way to differentiate the two phrases is to distinguish the points of emphasis in both phrases. 看起来's forms characterize the object, while 看来's forms more emphasize the subject. In other words, 看起来 stresses how an object appears, and 看来 stresses how a situation appears to the user. Take a look at the dialog below to grasp these differences.

• A: 看来他不来了。A: Kànlái tā bù láile. It seems he is not coming.
• B: 天气看起来不好。在我看来，他不会来因为会下雨。 B: Tiānqì kànqǐlái bu hǎo. Zài wǒ kànlái, tā bù huì lái yīnwèi huì xià yǔ. The weather looks bad. The way I see it, he won't come because it will rain.

See Also

• Comparing "xiande" and "kanqilai"
• Appearance with "kanqilai"
• Assessing situations with "kanlai"