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[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)

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[Expressing attitude](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_attitude)

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[以为](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%BA), [以](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BB%A5), [为](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%BA)

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We often have mistaken beliefs about various topics. With this article, we learn how to express them in Chinese!

Contents -------- [hide]([# "wikilink")\]

- [1 Structure](#Structure "wikilink") - [2 Examples](#Examples "wikilink") - [3 See also](#See_also "wikilink") - [4 Sources and further reading](#Sources_and_further_reading "wikilink") - [4.1 Books](#Books "wikilink")

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.

Subj. + 以为 ⋯⋯

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 was British. - 我们 *以为* 你不在家。Wǒmen *yǐwéi* nǐ bù zài jiā .We thought you weren't at home. - 同事们都 *以为* 我二十岁。Tóngshì men dōu *yǐwéi* wǒ èrshí suì.My colleagues all thought I was twenty. - 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 all the students understood. - 大家都 *以为* 他是大老板。Dàjiā dōu *yǐwéi* tā shì dà lǎobǎn.Everybody thought he was 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 was your mother. - 你去吃四川火锅了？我 *以为* 你不爱吃辣。Nǐ qù chī Sìchuān huǒguō le? Wǒ *yǐwéi* nǐ bù ài chī là.You went to eat Sichuan hotpot? I thought you don't like eating spicy food. - 你们分手了？我 *以为* 你们还在一起。Nǐmen fēnshǒu le? Wǒ *yǐwéi* nǐmen hái zài yīqǐ.You guys broke up? I thought you were still together. - 我看到那张照片，*以为* 你有男朋友了。 Wǒ kàndào nà zhāng zhàopiàn, *yǐwéi* nǐ yǒu nánpéngyou le.I saw that picture and I thought you had a boyfriend.

See also ------------------------------------------------------- - [Result complement "-cuo"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement_%22-cuo%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Short-term_Spoken_Chinese:_Elementary_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%AD%E9%80%9F%E6%88%90%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E7%AF%87)) (pp. 106) \[ →buy\] - [Contemporary Chinese 4 (当代中文4)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contemporary_Chinese_4_(%E5%BD%93%E4%BB%A3%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%874)) (pp. 31) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7800529371/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7800529371) \

[Category](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Special:Categories): - [B1 grammar points](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Category:B1_grammar_points)

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