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看起來

简看起来 · 繁看起來

Mandarin · pinyin kàn qǐ lai

seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the face of it to be

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Characters in this entry

看: kàn · look, see; examine, scrutinize
起: qǐ · rise, stand up; go up; begin
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–5 · kan4 qi3 lai5

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

看起來 · find source passages ↗ · 看起来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to seem; to look as if
to look and perceive

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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