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.

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.

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books