Comparing "kanqilai" and "kanlai"

Both 看起来 (kànqilai) 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 kànqilai hěn kāixīn.Our daughter looks really happy today.
• 这 道 菜 看起来 很 好吃。Zhè dào cài kànqilai hěn hǎochī.This dish looks really tasty.
• 这 两 件 衣服 看起来 差不多 一样 。Zhè liǎng jiàn yīfu kànqilai chàbuduō yīyàng.These two pieces of clothing look pretty much the same.
• 老板 最近 太 忙 了，他 看起来 很 累。Lǎobǎn zuìjìn tài máng le, tā kànqilai hěn lèi.The boss has been too busy lately. He looks really tired.

看起来 + 像 for Direct Visual Comparisons

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 sister is so pretty! She looks like a celebrity.
• 他 看起来 像 不 像 我 的 那个 朋友 ？Tā kànqilai xiàng bu xiàng wǒ de nàge péngyou?Does he look like that friend of mine?
• 这 件 事 看起来 像 骗 人 的 。Zhè jiàn shì kànqilai xiàng piàn rén de .This thing looks like it's meant to deceive people.
• 他们 看起来 不 像 好 人 。Tāmen kànqilai bù xiàng hǎo rén.They don't look like good 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 when 看来 is used in a manner, the speaker isn't usually commenting on the physical appearance of anything. Rather, 看来 indicates the speaker's conclusion about 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.There aren't many people at this restaurant. It seems the food isn't good.
• 现在 看来，他 没有 那么 喜欢 你。Xiànzài kànlái, tā méiyǒu nàme xǐhuān nǐ. It seems now that he's just not that into you.

看来 as "From X's Perspective"

看来 can also be used to make a subjective statement from a particular person's perspective. A more literal translation would be "the way [Person] sees it...." This full form is more common 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, the best solution is for everyone to cooperate.
• 在 他 看来，这 件 事情 很 简单。zài tā kànlái, zhè jiàn shìqing hěn jiǎndān.According to him, this is a very simple matter.

See Also

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

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