Comparing "kanqilai" and "kanlai"

Both 看起来 (kànqǐlái) and 看来 (kànlái) have the meanings, "it looks like" and "to seem," but they are used in different ways. 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

• 女儿 今天 看起来 很 开心 。Nǚér jīntiān kànqǐlái hěn kāixīn.This cake looks really tasty.
• 这 道 菜 看起来 很 好吃。Zhè dào cài kànqǐlái hěn hǎochī.This restaurant looks good.
• 这 两 件 衣服 看起来 差不多 一样 。Zhè liǎng jiàn yīfu kànqǐlái chàbuduō yīyàng.Your boyfriend seems very mature.
• 老板 最近 太 忙 了，他 看起来 很 累。Lǎobǎn zuìjìn tài máng le ,tā kànqǐlái hěn lèi.The boss seems a little unhappy.

看起来 as 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 姐姐 真 漂亮 ！看起来 像 明星 。Nǐ jiějie zhēn piàoliang! Kànqǐlái xiàng míngxīng.Your mother is so young! She looks like your older sister.
• 他 看起来 像 不 像 我 的 那个 朋友 ？Tā kànqǐlái xiàng bu xiàng wǒ de nàge péngyou?Do I look like a big boss?
• 这 件 事 看起来 像 骗 人 的 。Zhè jiàn shì kànqǐlái xiàng piàn rén de .You two look like a couple.
• 他们 看起来 不 像 好 人 。Tāmen kànqǐlái bù xiàng hǎo rén.They don't seem like rich people.

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

• 雨 这么 大，看来 他 不 来 了。Yǔ zhème dà, Kànlái tā bù lái le.It seems he's not coming. It's already so late.
• 这 家 餐厅 人 很 少， 看来 不 太 好吃。zhè jiā cāntīng rén hěn shǎo, Kànlái bù tài hǎochī.I guess you didn't have a good time. Is that why you came back so early?
• 现在 看来，他 没有 那么 喜欢 你。Xiànzài kànlái, tā méiyǒu nàme xǐhuān nǐ. 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，最 好 的 办法 是 大家 一起 合作。zài wǒ Kànlái, zuì hǎo de bànfǎ shì dàjiā yīqǐ hézuò.The way I see it, people who won't spend money aren't going to enjoy life.
• 在 他 看来，这 件 事情 很 简单。zài tā Kànlái,zhè jiàn shìqing hěn jiǎndān.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"