How to use 看起来；看来
Subject + 看起来 + description; 看来 + inference; 在 + person + 看来
看起来 often describes the impression a person, object, or situation gives. The judgment may concern appearance, mood, or how something seems on inspection. 看来 more readily introduces an inference drawn from available evidence, much like it seems that. These uses can overlap, but they frame the judgment differently: an apparent quality versus a conclusion about what is happening.
With 看起来, an adjective phrase can state the impression, and 像 can introduce a comparison. 看来 may begin a clause that presents the inferred situation. 在…看来 is another established pattern, identifying whose perspective supports the judgment. Avoid restricting 看起来 to visible physical features alone; appearances can also suggest qualities that are not directly measurable by sight.
Examples with pinyin and English
女儿今天看起来很开心。
Our daughter looks really happy today.
这道菜看起来很好吃。
This dish looks really tasty.
雨这么大， 看来他不来了。
It's raining so hard. It seems he's not coming.
这家餐厅人很少， 看来不太好吃。
There aren't many people at this restaurant. It seems the food isn't so good.
What to remember
- Use 看起来 for an apparent quality or impression.
- Use 看来 to introduce an inference.
- Use 在…看来 to name a person's perspective.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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