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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "mistakenly thought" with 以为 (yǐwéi)

    HSK 3
    Actions & Events
    Aspect & Tense

    Structure

    Subject + 以为 + Clause

    Explanation

    以为 (yǐwéi) is used to express a mistaken belief or assumption that turned out to be wrong. It conveys the idea of "thought (incorrectly) that…" and implies the speaker has since realized the truth. It often appears in past-tense contexts to contrast what was assumed with what actually happened.

    Examples

    • 我以为你已经回家了,没想到你还在办公室。

      Wǒ yǐwéi nǐ yǐjīng huí jiā le, méi xiǎngdào nǐ hái zài bàngōngshì.

      I thought you had already gone home; I didn't expect you to still be in the office.

    • 她以为今天不用上班,结果到了公司才发现搞错了。

      Tā yǐwéi jīntiān bú yòng shàngbān, jiéguǒ dào le gōngsī cái fāxiàn gǎo cuò le.

      She thought she didn't have to work today, but when she got to the company she realized she was wrong.

    • 我以为这家店关门了,原来只是换了个地方。

      Wǒ yǐwéi zhè jiā diàn guānmén le, yuánlái zhǐshì huàn le ge dìfang.

      I thought this store had closed down, but it turned out it just moved to a different location.