{{Grammar Box}} 

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

== 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.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 以为 ⋯⋯
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The phrase will be a whole new statement that is actually incorrect.

== Examples ==

<div class="liju">

*我 <em>以为</em> 他 是 英国 人 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐwéi</em> tā shì Yīngguó rén.</span><span class="trans">I thought he is British.</span>
*我们 <em>以为</em> 只 有 家人 知道 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>yǐwéi</em> zhǐ yǒu jiārén zhīdào.</span><span class="trans">We thought only family members know.</span>
*很多 人 <em>以为</em> 大 城市 什么 都 贵。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐwéi</em> tǔdòu jiùshì hóngshǔ.</span><span class="trans">I thought potato is sweet potato.</span>
*所有 人 都 <em>以为</em> 你 才 二十 岁 ！<span class="pinyin">Suǒyǒu rén dōu <em>yǐwéi</em> nǐ cái èrshí suì.</span><span class="trans">Everybody thought you're only twenty.</span>
*我 <em>以为</em> 你们 分手 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐwéi</em> nǐmen fēnshǒu le.</span><span class="trans">I thought you guys broke up.</span>
*我们 都 <em>以为</em> 你 生气 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen dōu <em>yǐwéi</em> nǐ shēngqì le.</span><span class="trans">We all thought you were angry.</span>
*老师 <em>以为</em> 学生 都 听懂 了 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī <em>yǐwéi</em> xuéshēng dōu tīngdǒng le.</span><span class="trans">The teacher thought students all understood.</span>
*大家 都 <em>以为</em> 他 是 大 老板 。<span class="pinyin">Dàjiā dōu <em>yǐwéi</em> tā shì dà lǎobǎn.</span><span class="trans">Everybody thought he's the big boss.</span>
*她 是 你 外婆 ？我 <em>以为</em> 是 你 妈妈 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shì nǐ wàipó? Wǒ <em>yǐwéi</em> shì nǐ māma.</span><span class="trans">She's your grandma? I thought she's your mother.</span>
*你 怎么 会 去 吃 四川 火锅 ？我 <em>以为</em> 你 不 爱 吃辣 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zěnme huì qù chī Sìchuān huǒguō? Wǒ <em>yǐwéi</em> nǐ bù ài chī là.</span><span class="trans">Why would you go to Sichuan hotpot? I thought you don't like eating spicy food.</span>

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==See also==

* [[Result complement "-cuo"]]


== Sources and further reading ==

=== Books ===

* [[Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)]] (pp. 106) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00326U9MS/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00326U9MS →buy] 
* [[Contemporary Chinese 4 (当代中文4)]] (pp. 31) [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 →buy]


[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
{{Basic Grammar|以为|B1|以为⋯⋯|我 <em>以为</em> 你 不 是 我的 朋友。|grammar point|ASGRBC43}}
{{Rel char|以}}
{{Rel char|为}}
{{Used for|Expressing attitude}}
{{Similar|Result complement "-cuo"}}

{{POS|Verbs}}