想来 (xiǎng lái) — presumably; it may be assumed that; I imagine that
Definition
想来 is a hedge meaning 'presumably / I imagine' — used to soften a guess or inference. Compare 看来 (xiǎnglái), which marks a judgement based on what is visible or apparent.
verb
presumablyit may be assumed thatI imagine that
Examples
- 想来。xiǎng lái Tā yīng gāi yǐ jīng dào le.Presumably he has already arrived.
- ，想来。Tā méi lái shàng kè, xiǎng lái shì shēng bìng le.She didn't come to class; presumably she is sick.
- 想来。Zhè jiàn shì xiǎng lái méi nà me jiǎn dān.This matter presumably isn't that simple.
Appears in
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