Dictionary › 以为

以为

yǐ wéi

Old HSK 3 HSK 3.0 level 3 2-character word Traditional 以為

以为 (yǐ wéi) means "to think (i.e. to take it to be true that ...)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was HSK 3 in the old six-level list.

What 以为 means

1. to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief)

The characters in 以为

• 以yǐto use; by means of; according to
• 为wéias (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as

Example sentences

• 他自以为是。
  Tā zìyǐwéishì.
  He believes himself to be infallible.
• 我以为你会来。
  I took it that you would come.
• 我以为你想等。
  I thought you wanted to wait.
• 我以为你知道。
  I thought you knew.
• 我以为你在听。
  I thought you were listening.
• 我以为你退出了。
  Wǒ yǐwéi nǐ tuìchū le.
  I thought you quit.

Words containing 以为

• 不以为然bù yǐ wéi ránnot to accept as correct (idiom); to object; to disapprove; to take exception to
• 自以为是zì yǐ wéi shìto believe oneself infallible (idiom); to be opinionated
• 习以为常xí yǐ wéi chángaccustomed to; used to
• 信以为真xìn yǐ wéi zhēnto take sth to be true
• 不以为意bù yǐ wéi yìnot to mind; unconcerned
• 难以为继nán yǐ wéi jì(idiom) difficult to carry on; unsustainable
• 无以为报wú yǐ wéi bàounable to return the favor
• 无以为生wú yǐ wéi shēngno way to get by
• 引以为鉴yǐn yǐ wéi jiànto take a lesson from (an adverse experience)
• 引以为荣yǐn yǐ wéi róngto regard it as an honor (idiom)
• 引以为憾yǐn yǐ wéi hànto consider sth regrettable (idiom)
• 引以为戒yǐn yǐ wéi jièto take sth as a warning (idiom); to draw a lesson from a case where things turned out…
• 引以为傲yǐn yǐ wéi àoto be intensely proud of sth (idiom)
• 医之好治不病以为功yī zhī hào zhì bù bìng yǐ wéi gōngdoctors like to treat those who are not sick so that they can get credit for the…

Where 以为 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Cognitive & Communication Verbs (HSK 3), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 3 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read yǐ wéi correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.