看起来 (looks / seems)
IntroducedAn attractive dish has not been tasted
- You judge a dish from its appearance before trying it.
- this这个dish菜looks看起来very很delicious好吃。 — The speaker offers an impression from appearance.
You judge a dish from its appearance before trying it. What does 这个菜看起来很好吃。 communicate?
The speaker offers an impression from appearance. 看起来 does not prove taste or underlying quality. It also does not prove that the person has never tasted the dish; the sentence only chooses appearance as the basis of this comment.
Build the form
- The pattern in this lesson is looks看起来 (looks / seems). Locate it in the original interlinear examples below.
- Keep the words in their demonstrated positions; the pattern must fit the intended situation as well as the sentence form.
he他looks看起来very很tired累。
Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: He looks very tired: 他 ____ 很累。
看起来 + Adj = looks / seems …: 他看起来很累.
Read examples in context
this这(measure word)个dish菜looks看起来very很delicious好吃。
- In the opening example, this这个dish菜looks看起来very很delicious好吃。: The speaker offers an impression from appearance.
- Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.
What does 看起来 signal?
看起来 chooses appearance as the basis of the comment. It does not prove whether the person has ever tasted the dish.
Build: “He looks very tired.”
Subj + 看起来 + Adj: 他 + 看起来 + 很累.
Know the boundary
- looks看起来 does not prove taste or underlying quality.
- It also does not prove that the person has never tasted the dish; the sentence only chooses appearance as the basis of this comment.
看起来 states a fact you are sure about.
It marks a guess from appearance, not a certainty.
In the opening situation: The speaker offers an impression from appearance.
看起来 does not prove taste or underlying quality. It also does not prove that the person has never tasted the dish; the sentence only chooses appearance as the basis of this comment. The speaker offers an impression from appearance.
Use the distinction
- The speaker offers an impression from appearance.
- looks看起来 does not prove taste or underlying quality. It also does not prove that the person has never tasted the dish; the sentence only chooses appearance as the basis of this comment.
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Verbs.
You judge a dish from its appearance before trying it. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.