How common it is
以为 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say yǐwéi slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“以为”用来表示假设或错误的判断。比如，你可能以为今天会下雨，但实际上并没有下雨。
yǐwéi láizhě bǎo shì jiǎsù huò qǔ wù de pànjuédú. rúguǒ, nǐ kěnéng yǐwéi jīntiān huì xiàyǔ, dànshì záshí jìběn méiyǒu xià.
"以为" is used to express assumptions or incorrect judgments. For example, you might think it will rain today, but in fact, it doesn't.
Context note
“以为”常用于日常生活中的对话，比如朋友之间的玩笑或日常讨论。
yǐwéi cháng yòng yú rìjīn shēntí zhōng de huàhuà, bǐrú péngyou jiāzhōng de xuǎnwán huò dānrì tǎolùn.
"以为" is commonly used in daily conversations among friends or casual discussions.
5 examples
我以为他会来。
wǒ yǐ wéi tā huì lái。
I thought he would come.
他以为自己很强壮。
tā yǐ wéi zì jǐ hěn qiáng zhuàng。
He thought he was very strong.
妈妈以为我生病了。
mā ma yǐ wéi wǒ shēng bìng le。
Mom thought I was sick.
我以为这个是苹果，其实是香蕉。
wǒ yǐ wéi zhè ge shì píng guǒ， qí shí shì xiāng jiāo。
I thought this was an apple, but it's actually a banana.
他以为自己很聪明，结果却犯了错。
tā yǐ wéi zì jǐ hěn cōng ming， jié guǒ què fàn le cuò。
He thought he was very smart, but ended up making a mistake.
5 mini stories
小明以为今天会下雨，所以没带伞。后来发现没有下雨。
xiǎo míng yǐ wéi jīn tiān huì xià yǔ， suǒ yǐ méi dài sǎn。 hòu lái fā xiàn méi yǒu xià yǔ。
Xiaoming thought it would rain today, so he didn't bring an umbrella. Later, he found out it didn't rain.
妈妈以为宝宝饿了，就给他吃了零食。结果宝宝只是想喝水。
mā ma yǐ wéi bǎo bao è le， jiù gěi tā chī le líng shí。 jié guǒ bǎo bao zhǐ shì xiǎng hē shuǐ。
Mom thought the baby was hungry and gave him some snacks. But the baby just wanted to drink water.
小华以为朋友会来参加聚会，结果朋友没来。
xiǎo huá yǐ wéi péng yǒu huì lái cān jiā jù huì， jié guǒ péng yǒu méi lái。
Xiaohua thought his friend would come to the party, but the friend didn't show up.
爸爸以为儿子学习进步了，其实只是做了笔记。
bà ba yǐ wéi ér zi xué xí jìn bù le， qí shí zhǐ shì zuò le bǐ jì。
Dad thought his son had improved in studies, but it was just because he took notes.
姐姐以为弟弟会自己整理房间，结果他把东西弄得更乱。
jiě jie yǐ wéi dì di huì zì jǐ zhěng lǐ fáng jiān， jié guǒ tā bǎ dōng xī nòng dé gèng luàn。
The older sister thought her younger brother would clean up the room, but he made a bigger mess.