# Appearance with "看起来"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 蛋糕 _看起来_ 很 好吃 。
  <!-- - Dàngāo _kànqilai_ hěn hǎochī. -->
  - The cake looks really tasty.
- 这 家 餐厅 _看起来_ 不错。
  <!-- - Zhè jiā cāntīng _kànqilai_ bùcuò. -->
  - This restaurant looks good.
- 你 男朋友 _看起来_ 很 成熟 。
  <!-- - Nǐ nánpéngyou _kànqilai_ hěn chéngshú. -->
  - Your boyfriend looks very mature.
- 老板 _看起来_ 有点 不 高兴 。
  <!-- - Lǎobǎn _kànqilai_ yǒudiǎn bù gāoxìng. -->
  - The boss looks a little unhappy.
- 你们 _看起来_ 差不多 高 。
  <!-- - Nǐmen _kànqilai_ chàbuduō gāo. -->
  - You look to be about the same height.
- 你 妈妈 真 年轻 ！_看起来_ **像** 你 姐姐 。
  <!-- - Nǐ māma zhēn niánqīng! _Kànqǐlái_ **xiàng** nǐ jiějie. -->
  - Your mother is so young! She looks like your older sister.
- 我 _看起来_ **像** 不 **像** 大 老板 ？
  <!-- - Wǒ _kànqilai_ **xiàng** bu **xiàng** dà lǎobǎn. -->
  - Do I look like a big boss?
- 你们 俩 _看起来_ **像** 情侣 。
  <!-- - Nǐmen liǎ _kànqilai_ **xiàng** qínglǚ. -->
  - You two look like a couple.
- 他们 _看起来_ 不 **像** 有钱 人 。
  <!-- - Tāmen _kànqilai_ bù **xiàng** yǒuqián rén. -->
  - They don't look like rich people.
- 那 个 喝醉 的 男人 _看起来_ **像** 你 老公 。
  <!-- - Nàge hēzuì de nánrén _kànqilai_ **xiàng** nǐ lǎogōng. -->
  - That drunk guy looks like your husband.

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points) / [HSK3](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK3_grammar_points)
- Similar to
  - [Direction complement "-起来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Direction_complement_%22-qilai%22) (B1)
  - [Expressing "it seems" with "好像"](./好像.md) (B1)
  - [Advanced uses of direction complement "-起来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Advanced_uses_of_direction_complement_%22-qilai%22) (B2)
  - [Assessing situations with "看来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Assessing_situations_with_%22kanlai%22) (B2)
  - [Comparing "看起来" and "看来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22kanqilai%22_and_%22kanlai%22) (B2)
  - [Comparing "显得" and "看起来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22xiande%22_and_%22kanqilai%22) (B2)
  - [Expressing "as if" with "似乎"](../C1/adverbs/似乎.md) (C1)
- Used for: [Describing things](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Describing_things), [Expressing attitude](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_attitude)
- Keywords: [看起来](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%9C%8B%E8%B5%B7%E6%9D%A5), [看](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%9C%8B), [起来](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%B5%B7%E6%9D%A5)

</TOC>

One of the most common ways to express how something "looks" is to use 看起来 (kànqilai). This is what we would use if we wanted to express something like "he looks tired."

## Used for Judgement

This pattern is most commonly followed by an adjectival phrase. This can include regular [adverbs](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Adverb) of degree like [很](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%BE%88), or negative adverbs like [不](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D).

### Structure

Subj. + 看起来 + Adj.

### Examples

- 蛋糕 _看起来_ 很 好吃 。
  <!-- - Dàngāo _kànqilai_ hěn hǎochī. -->
  - The cake looks really tasty.
- 这 家 餐厅 _看起来_ 不错。
  <!-- - Zhè jiā cāntīng _kànqilai_ bùcuò. -->
  - This restaurant looks good.
- 你 男朋友 _看起来_ 很 成熟 。
  <!-- - Nǐ nánpéngyou _kànqilai_ hěn chéngshú. -->
  - Your boyfriend looks very mature.
- 老板 _看起来_ 有点 不 高兴 。
  <!-- - Lǎobǎn _kànqilai_ yǒudiǎn bù gāoxìng. -->
  - The boss looks a little unhappy.
- 你们 _看起来_ 差不多 高 。
  <!-- - Nǐmen _kànqilai_ chàbuduō gāo. -->
  - You look to be about the same height.

## Used for Analogy

If you want to state _what_ something looks _like_, you'll also need to follow 看起来 with 像 (xiàng), and then the noun phrase.

### Structure

Subj. + 看起来 + 像 + Noun Phrase

### Examples

- 你 妈妈 真 年轻 ！_看起来_ **像** 你 姐姐 。
  <!-- - Nǐ māma zhēn niánqīng! _Kànqǐlái_ **xiàng** nǐ jiějie. -->
  - Your mother is so young! She looks like your older sister.
- 我 _看起来_ **像** 不 **像** 大 老板 ？
  <!-- - Wǒ _kànqilai_ **xiàng** bu **xiàng** dà lǎobǎn. -->
  - Do I look like a big boss?
- 你们 俩 _看起来_ **像** 情侣 。
  <!-- - Nǐmen liǎ _kànqilai_ **xiàng** qínglǚ. -->
  - You two look like a couple.
- 他们 _看起来_ 不 **像** 有钱 人 。
  <!-- - Tāmen _kànqilai_ bù **xiàng** yǒuqián rén. -->
  - They don't look like rich people.
- 那 个 喝醉 的 男人 _看起来_ **像** 你 老公 。
  <!-- - Nàge hēzuì de nánrén _kànqilai_ **xiàng** nǐ lǎogōng. -->
  - That drunk guy looks like your husband.

## See also

- [Result complement "-起来"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement_%22-qilai%22)
- ["It seems" with "好像"](./好像.md)
- [Expressing "as if" with "似乎"](../C1/adverbs/似乎.md)

## Sources and further reading

### Books

- [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 241-2) [Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy](https://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA,)

### Websites

- [Using 看 (kàn) and 看起来 (kàn qilai)](http://chinesepod.com/lessons/using-%E7%9C%8B-kan-and-%E7%9C%8B%E8%B5%B7%E6%9D%A5-kan-qilai)

### Videos

- Yoyo Chinese: ["You look Pretty"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBduBkV1CA)