"V"起來 (V起来)

"V"起來 is a unique expression in Mandarin Chinese, where the meaning is determined by the "V" action that affects an object (direct object) and conveys how it feels or appears as a result. The phrase "起來" (qǐlái) is commonly used in Mandarin to indicate the emergence of a state, essentially meaning "to start to" or "to turn out to be."

The structure is as follows:

"V"起來 + (description of the state)

It's important to note that the verb "V" is typically a monosyllabic action verb, and there are certain fixed verbs commonly used with this structure. Here are some of the most common and frequently used verbs:

看 (kàn, look), 聽 (tīng, listen), 吃 (chī, eat), 喝 (hē, drink), 坐 (zuò, sit), 穿 (chuān, wear), 寫 (xiě, write), 笑 (xiào, laugh), 說 (shuō, speak), 學 (xué, learn), 念 (niàn, read), 住 (zhù, live), 拍 (pāi, take [a photo]), 逛 (guàng, stroll), 走 (zǒu, walk)

These verbs combine with "起來" to form phrases like:

看起來 (looks), 聽起來 (sounds), 吃起來 (tastes), 喝起來 (drinks), 坐起來 (sits), 穿起來 (wears), 寫起來 (writes), 笑起來 (laughs), 說起來 (speaks), 學起來 (learns), 念起來 (reads), 住起來 (lives), 拍起來 (takes), 逛起來 (strolls), 走起來 (walks)

For example, using "看起來", you might say "這個玩具看起來很好玩" (This toy looks fun), meaning that the toy appears fun to the observer. Another example is "這首歌聽起來很悲傷" (This song sounds sad), implying that the song conveys a sad feeling to the listener; "這塊蛋糕吃起來很甜" (This cake tastes very sweet), indicating the cake is perceived as too sweet by the eater.

Here are some example sentences to help you better understand how to use this grammar:

Example 1: Mandarin sounds difficult, and it really is difficult to learn. Example 2: Taiwan's night markets are fun to explore. Example 3: This piece of clothing feels a bit too large when worn. Example 4: Lihua's daughter really looks like her when she laughs.

The expression "起來" consistently follows a verb, and only a limited set of verbs are applicable. Besides practicing, my advice is to memorize them for quicker mastery.

「V」起來

「V」起來是華語中很特別的一個表現，他的意思是藉由「V」動作來判斷，動作（V）所接觸的東西（受詞）會呈現什麼感覺。這裡的「起來」是華語中常見的用法，意思就是從無到有，一種狀態的出現。

它的定式是：

「V」起來＋（狀態的形容描述）

首先要注意的是，這裡的動詞通常是單音節的某些固定的動作動詞，這裡我們列舉一些比較常用且且常見的動詞：

看， 聽， 吃， 喝， 坐， 穿，寫 ， 笑 ， 說 ， 學 ， 念 ， 住 ， 拍 （ 照 ）， 逛 ， 走 

它們跟「起來」組合起來會變成以下列表的樣子：

看起來、聽起來、吃起來、喝起來、坐起來、穿起來、寫起來、笑起來、說起來、學起來、念起來、住起來、拍起來、逛起來、走起來

 所以，以上面的「看起來」為例，我們可以說「這個玩具看起來很好玩」，意思是藉由看這個動作，看的人感覺被看的玩具很有趣；「這首歌聽起來很悲傷」，意思是說話的人聽了這首歌之後，感覺這首歌傳達的感覺很令人難過；「這塊蛋糕吃起來很甜」，意思是吃了這塊蛋糕之後，覺得蛋糕太甜等等

以下我們用幾個例句幫助大家更清楚了解這個文法怎麼使用。

例句一：華語聽起來很難，學起來也真的很難

例句二：台灣的夜市逛起來很有趣

例句三：

例句四：麗華的女兒笑起來真的很像她

這句的意思是藉由麗華的女兒的笑容，說話的人感覺到麗華的女兒跟麗華長得很像。

這個表現法的形式很固定，都是動詞＋「起來」，且可以適用的動詞並不多，所以除了多練習以外，我的建議是把他背起來是最快的。