似乎 (sì hū) — it seems, seemingly, as if

Definition

似乎 is a formal, written adverb meaning 'it seems' — close in meaning to 好像 but more literary. 似的 is a particle that attaches to the end of a phrase, not a stand-alone adverb.

adverb
it seemsseeminglyas if

Examples

  • 似乎。
    Tā sì hū duì zhè jiàn shì bú tài mǎn yì.
    He doesn't seem very satisfied with this matter.
  • 似乎。
    Wài miàn de tiān qì sì hū biàn lěng le.
    The weather outside seems to have turned cold.
  • 似乎。
    Tā men sì hū yǐ jīng lí kāi le.
    They seem to have already left.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

似sìseem
乎hūparticle

似乎 pairs 似 (seem) with 乎 to mean it seems.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénhuman
Sound part声符shēngfú
以
以yǐ似sì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

似 pairs 亻 (human) with 以, which gives the sound.

Open 似 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 丂丂kǎobranch

The old 乎 paired an element for wind or air with 丂, a branch used as a sound part, and was the original form of the word for 'to call; to cry'.

Open 乎 →

Grammar

Appears in
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