Expressing “looks like” with 看来, 看起来 and 上看去
We use these constructions to express our opinion about someone or something by looking at it.
看上去 and 看起来
We use 看上去 
and 看起来 “to look like” before a predicate, which is expressed by an adjective or a verb.
and 看起来 “to look like” before a predicate, which is expressed by an adjective or a verb. Pay attention
They are often followed by the verb 像 .
.Examples
你看上去很累，快去睡觉吧
You look tired, go to bed now
nǐ kànshàngqu hěn lèi, kuài qù shuìjiào ba
他今天穿蓝西服，看上去像30岁多
He is wearing a blue suit today and looks like he is over 30 years old
tā jīntiān chuān lán xīfu, kànshàngqu xiàng sānshí suì duō
她看起来像明星
She looks like a celebrity
tā kànqǐlai xiàng míngxīng
We can also use 看起来 as an introduction word to express our point of view.
Examples
看起来要下雪了
It looks like it will snow
kànqǐlai yào xià xuě le
To make a negation, we should add the particle 不 after 看上去 or 看起来. The negative phrase is translated as “don’t/doesn’t look very...”.
after 看上去 or 看起来. The negative phrase is translated as “don’t/doesn’t look very...”.Examples
他看上去不高兴
He doesn’t look very happy
tā kàn shàngqù bù gāoxìng
看起来不太像原来的样子
It doesn’t look exactly like the original
kànqǐlai bú tài xiàng yuánlái de yàngzi
看来
The meaning of 看来 is similar to 看起来, however it can be used much more often.
The phrase 看来 can be used either as the verb “to look like” and as the introduction word word meaning “seems”.
is similar to 看起来, however it can be used much more often.
The phrase 看来 can be used either as the verb “to look like” and as the introduction word word meaning “seems”.
Examples
这个地方看来很好玩儿
This place seems to be very fun
zhè ge dìfang kànlái hěn hǎowár
看来我要迟到了
It seems like I'm going to be late
kànlái wǒ yào chídào le
With 看来, we can also express another person's opinion or indicate the source of what we are referring to.
Scheme
在
who/what
source/whose opinion?
(的)
看来
...
the opinion itself
Pay attention
When the subject is animate, we can use the particle 的 after the word indicating the person. However it is not obligatory.
If the subject is inanimate, the particle 的 is not used at all.
after the word indicating the person. However it is not obligatory.
If the subject is inanimate, the particle 的 is not used at all.
We also can use other prepositions instead of 在:
就
以
依
从
以
依
从 Examples
在我妈妈的看来，我们肯定会赢的
In my mother's opinion, we will definitely win
zài wǒ māma de kànlái , wǒmen kěndìng huì yíng de
以老师看来，我们都很聪明
According to the teacher's opinion, we are all very smart
yǐ lǎoshī kànlái, wǒmen dōu hěn cōngmíng
就这些事实看来，价格不会稳定
According to all these facts, it seems that the price will not be stable
jiù zhèxiē shìshí kànlái, jiàgé bú huì wěndìng
Pay attention
Remember the introduction phrase:
在我(的)看来......