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How to say “looks” in Chinese with 显得 and 看起来

Subj. + 显得 (xiǎnde) + Adj. (shows quality) / Subj. + 看起来 (kànqǐlái) + Adj. (looks)

显得 (xiǎn dé) vs 看起来 (kàn qǐ lái) — looks vs seems

HSK 5Verbs

Rule structure

显得 (xiǎnde) emphasizes that a certain quality is exhibited or comes across. 看起来 (kànqǐlái) is purely visual impression.

Examples

她穿黑色显得很瘦。 / 她看起来很高兴。

Tā chuān hēisè xiǎnde hěn shòu. / Tā kàn qǐlái hěn gāoxìng.

She looks slimmer in black. / She looks happy.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say “looks vs seems” in Chinese with 显得 vs 看起来?

Use the structure: Subj. + 显得 (xiǎnde) + Adj. (shows quality) / Subj. + 看起来 (kànqǐlái) + Adj. (looks). For example: 她穿黑色显得很瘦。 / 她看起来很高兴。 — “She looks slimmer in black. / She looks happy.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

她穿黑色显得很瘦。 / 她看起来很高兴。 — “She looks slimmer in black. / She looks happy.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 5.

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More HSK 5 grammar rules

算 — counting as, considering

Subj. + 算 (suàn) + (是 (shì)) + Noun / Adj.

难怪 — hard to blame

这 (zhè) / 也 (yě) + 难怪 (nánguài) + Person

什么 — rhetorical disapproval

Verb + 什么 (shénme) + (Obj.) (rhetorical disapproval)

化 — making -ize/-ify verbs

Noun / Adj. + 化 (huà) → Verb (to -ize/-ify)

像 — comparing with “like”

A + 像 (xiàng) + B + 一样 (yíyàng) / 这么 (zhème) / 那么 (nàme) + Adj.

比起 — compared with

比起 (bǐqǐ) + B + (来 (lái)), A + 更 (gèng) / 比较 (bǐjiào) + Adj.

不如 — not as… as

A + 不如 (bùrú) + B + (那么 (nàme) + Adj.)

看起来 vs 看来 — seem, look like

看起来 (kànqǐlái) + Adj. (visual impression) / 看来 (kànlái) + Clause (inference)