Chinese learning

Daily learning flow

TodayLessonsWordsDaily LifePracticeReview
Back
Back to word library

似乎

sì hū

seem; as if

Usage note

这个词用来表达一种猜测或感觉，好像某件事是真的，但不完全确定。

Zhège cí yònglái biǎodá yī zhǒng cāicè huò gǎnjué, hǎoxiàng mǒu jiàn shì shì zhēn de, dàn bù wánquán quèdìng.

This word is used to express a guess or feeling, as if something is true, but not completely sure.

Context note

在和朋友聊天时，我们可能说‘他似乎很高兴’，表示我们观察到他的表情。

Zài hé péngyou liáotiān shí, wǒmen kěnéng shuō ‘tā sìhū hěn gāoxìng’, biǎoshì wǒmen guānchá dào tā de biǎoqíng.

When chatting with friends, we might say 'he seems very happy', indicating we observe his expression.

5 examples

他似乎很高兴。
tā sì hū hěn gāo xìng。
He seems very happy.
天空似乎要下雨了。
tiān kōng sì hū yào xià yǔ le。
The sky seems like it's going to rain.
这个问题似乎很简单。
zhè ge wèn tí sì hū hěn jiǎn dān。
This question seems very simple.
她似乎忘记了时间。
tā sì hū wàng jì le shí jiān。
She seems to have forgotten the time.
小猫似乎饿了。
xiǎo māo sì hū è le。
The kitten seems hungry.

5 mini stories

小明似乎很累。他坐在椅子上闭上了眼睛。
xiǎo míng sì hū hěn lèi。 tā zuò zài yǐ zi shàng bì shàng le yǎn jīng。
Xiao Ming seems very tired. He sits on the chair and closes his eyes.
花儿似乎很开心。它们在阳光下开放。
huā ér sì hū hěn kāi xīn。 tā men zài yáng guāng xià kāi fàng。
The flowers seem very happy. They bloom in the sunlight.
老师似乎很满意。她微笑着点头。
lǎo shī sì hū hěn mǎn yì。 tā wēi xiào zhe diǎn tóu。
The teacher seems very satisfied. She smiles and nods.
小狗似乎想出去玩。它摇着尾巴。
xiǎo gǒu sì hū xiǎng chū qù wán。 tā yáo zhe wěi ba。
The puppy seems to want to go out and play. It wags its tail.
这本书似乎很有趣。我迫不及待想读。
zhè běn shū sì hū hěn yǒu qù。 wǒ pò bù jí dài xiǎng dú。
This book seems very interesting. I can't wait to read it.

Mini dialogue

天气似乎要变了

A
你看，天似乎要下雨了。
Nǐ kàn, tiān sì hū yào xià yǔ le.
Look, it seems like it's going to rain.
B
是啊，我们快回家吧。
Shì a, wǒmen kuài huí jiā ba.
Yes, let's go home quickly.

他似乎不开心

A
小明今天似乎不开心。
Xiǎo Míng jīntiān sì hū bù kāixīn.
Xiao Ming seems unhappy today.
B
我们去问问他怎么了。
Wǒmen qù wèn wèn tā zěnme le.
Let's go ask him what's wrong.

Related words and contrasts

similar
好像
hǎoxiàng
seem; as if

好像 is more casual and common in speech.

similar
仿佛
fǎngfú
as if; seem

仿佛 is more literary.

Explore more words

好 / hǎo说 / shuō来 / lái去 / qù到 / dào做 / zuò上 / shàng看 / kàn