HSK Level 3

看起来

kàn qǐ lái

look like

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Example Sentences

他看起来很高兴。

Tā kànqǐlái hěn gāoxìng.

He looks very happy.

这件衣服看起来很漂亮。

Zhè jiàn yīfú kànqǐlái hěn piàoliang.

This dress looks very beautiful.

这本书看起来很有趣。

Zhè běn shū kànqǐlái hěn yǒuqù.

This book looks very interesting.

Synonyms

Antonyms

看不见 (kàn bù jiàn)

invisible

看不清 (kàn bù qīng)

unclear

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 看起来 (kànqǐlái) is a compound word consisting of three characters: 看 (kàn), 起 (qǐ), and 来 (lái). Each character has its own meaning and pronunciation, and when combined, they form a new word with a specific meaning.The character 看 (kàn) means "to look" or "to see". It is a common verb used in everyday speech and writing. The character 起 (qǐ) has several meanings, including "to rise", "to start", and "to begin". In the context of 看起来, it is used in the sense of "to start" or "to begin". The character 来 (lái) means "to come" or "to arrive". It is also used as a grammatical particle to indicate direction or purpose.When these three characters are combined, they form the word 看起来 (kànqǐlái), which means "to look like" or "to seem". It is used to describe the appearance or impression of something. For example, you could say 他看起来很高兴 (tā kànqǐlái hěn gāoxìng), which means "He looks very happy".The word 看起来 is a versatile expression that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is a useful tool for describing the appearance or impression of something in Chinese.