貌似 (mào shì) — seemingly; on the surface (often implying the opposite is true); (colloquial) it seems that; it looks like (used for speculation)

Definition

Used to introduce a surface appearance that often contrasts with reality ('seemingly'), or in speech to hedge a guess ('looks like'). Similar to 好像 but more often carries a skeptical or ironic edge, hinting the opposite may be true.

adverb
seeminglyon the surface (often implying the opposite is true)(colloquial) it seems thatit looks like (used for speculation)

Examples

  • 貌似
    Tā mào shì hěn yǒu hǎo, qí shí hěn nán xiāng chǔ.
    He seems friendly, but in fact he's hard to get along with.
  • 貌似
    Zhè ge wèn tí mào shì jiǎn dān, zuò qǐ lái què bù róng yì.
    This problem seems simple, but it's not easy to solve.
  • 貌似
    mào shì Jīn tiān yào xià yǔ, wǒ men hái shì dài sǎn ba.
    It looks like it's going to rain today — we'd better bring an umbrella.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.