Comparing "renwei" and "yiwei"

认为 (rènwéi) and 以为 (yǐwéi) are both verbs that mean "to think" in terms of "to consider" or "to deem" something to be true or false. Both are used in both informal and formal contexts and sometimes can be used interchangeably. However, only 认为 is often used to mean "in my opinion." Only 以为 is used to describe a situation in which you thought something to be true or correct, but in reality it wasn't.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	认为 (rènwéi)	以为 (yǐwéi)
Meaning	to think	to think mistakenly
Part of Speech	verb	verb (mostly)
Formality	flexible	flexible

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Use 认为 for "to think (that)"

认为 is somewhat more formal than 觉得, but means the same thing.

• 我 认为 你 的 西班牙语 很 好。Wǒ rènwéi nǐ de Xībānyáyǔ hěn hǎo.I think your Spanish is very good.
• 我 认为 这件 事情 你 应该 负责。Wǒ rènwéi rènwéi zhèjiàn shìqing nǐ yīnggāi fùzé.I think this is something you should be responsible for.
• 很 多 人 认为 成功 就 是 有 很 多 钱。Hěn duō rén rènwéi chénggōng jiù shì yǒu hěn duō qián.A lot of people think success is having a lot of money.
• 从 这个 角度 来说，我 认为 规定 很 重要。Cóng zhège jiǎodù láishuō, wǒ rènwéi guīdìng hěn zhòngyào.From that point of view, I think the regulations are important.

Use 认为 to say “in my opinion”

• 我 认为 中国 菜 很 好吃。 Wǒ rènwéi Zhōngguó cài hěn hǎochī.I think Chinese food is good.
• 我 认为 他 不 是 一 个 好 的 总统。 Wǒ rènwéi tā bù shì yī gè hǎo de zǒngtǒng.I don't think he's a good president.
• 我 认为 好 的 演讲 应该 是 让 人 感动 的。 Wǒ rènwéi hǎo de yǎnjiǎng yīnggāi shì ràng rén gǎndòng de.I think a good speech should move people.
• 我 认为 抽烟 是 一 个 坏 习惯，很 不 健康。 Wǒ rènwéi chōuyān shì yī gè huài xíguàn, hěn bù jiànkāng.I think smoking is a bad habit and very unhealthy.

Use 以为 to mean "mistakenly believe"

以为 is used to describe a situation in which you thought something was true or correct, but later found out that was not the case.

• 我 以为 今天 会 下雨，但是 没有 下。 Wǒ yǐwéi jīntiān huì xiàyǔ, dànshì méiyǒu xià.I thought it would rain today, but it didn't.
• 来 中国 以前，我 以为 中国 菜 很 难吃。Lái Zhōngguó yǐqián, Wǒ yǐwéi Zhōngguó cài hěn nánchī.Before I came to China, I thought Chinese food was't good.
• 他们 以为 你 是 美国人，原来 你 是 南非人。Tāmen yǐwéi nǐ shì Měiguórén, yuánlái nǐ shì Nánfēi rén.They thought you were American, but it turns out you are South African.
• 她 以为 今天 是 上午 十 点 上课，其实 是 下午 三 点 上课。Tā yǐwéi jīntiān shì shàngwǔ shí diǎn shàngkè, qíshí shì xiàwǔ sān diǎn shàngkè.She thought it was a 10am class today, but it's actually a 3pm class.

To say "to think" or "to consider" many times both 认为 and 以为 can be used interchangeably

There is some overlap between these two terms. In the following examples both 认为 and 以为 can be used.

• 我 以为 她 现在 过 得 很 好。 Wǒ yǐwéi tā xiànzài guo de hěn hǎo.I thought she was doing well now.
• 我 认为 她 下个 月 可以 回来。 Wǒ rènwéi tā xiàge yuè kěyǐ huílái.I think she can come back next month.
• 你 以为 我 忘 了，是 不 是？ Nǐ yǐwéi wǒ wàng le, shì bù shì?You think I've forgotten, don't you?
• 我 认为 这个 老师 很 不错。 Wǒ rènwéi zhège lǎoshī hěn bùcuò.I thought the teacher was nice.

To keep things straight in your own head, it's not a bad idea to use 以为 ONLY for the "mistakenly believe" idea. You just need to be aware that 以为 is not exclusively for mistaken beliefs.

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• “以为”和“认为”