We often have mistaken beliefs about various topics. With this article, we learn how to express them in Chinese!
Contents
- Structure
- Examples
- See also
- Sources and further reading
- Books
Structure
In English, the verb "to think" can imply that the belief is incorrect, e.g. in "I thought it was legal here." Chinese has a specific verb for this kind of mistaken belief: 以为 (yǐwéi). Literally these two characters mean "take to be," i.e. someone takes one thing to be something else.
The phrase will be a whole new statement that is actually incorrect.
Examples
- 我 以为 他 是 英国 人 。 Wǒ yǐwéi tā shì Yīngguó rén.
I thought he is British.
- 我们 以为 只 有 家人 知道 。 Wǒmen yǐwéi zhǐ yǒu jiārén zhīdào.
We thought only family members know.
- 很多 人 以为 大 城市 什么 都 贵。 Wǒ yǐwéi tǔdòu jiùshì hóngshǔ.
I thought potato is sweet potato.
- 所有 人 都 以为 你 才 二十 岁 ！ Suǒyǒu rén dōu yǐwéi nǐ cái èrshí suì.
Everybody thought you're only twenty.
- 我 以为 你们 分手 了 。 Wǒ yǐwéi nǐmen fēnshǒu le.
I thought you guys broke up.
- 我们 都 以为 你 生气 了 。 Wǒmen dōu yǐwéi nǐ shēngqì le.
We all thought you were angry.
- 老师 以为 学生 都 听懂 了 。 Lǎoshī yǐwéi xuéshēng dōu tīngdǒng le.
The teacher thought students all understood.
- 大家 都 以为 他 是 大 老板 。 Dàjiā dōu yǐwéi tā shì dà lǎobǎn.
Everybody thought he's the big boss.
- 她 是 你 外婆 ？我 以为 是 你 妈妈 。 Tā shì nǐ wàipó? Wǒ yǐwéi shì nǐ māma.
She's your grandma? I thought she's your mother.
- 你 怎么 会 去 吃 四川 火锅 ？我 以为 你 不 爱 吃辣 。 Nǐ zěnme huì qù chī Sìchuān huǒguō? Wǒ yǐwéi nǐ bù ài chī là.
Why would you go to Sichuan hotpot? I thought you don't like eating spicy food.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) (pp. 106)
- Contemporary Chinese 4 (当代中文4) (pp. 31)