▎看, kàn, (V), depend on (2)

 

Function The verb 看 has many meanings. Here, it presents a factor that determines an issue.

1 考不考得上公職，除了努力以外，還得看運氣。

Kǎo bù kǎo de shàng gōngzhí, chúle nǔlì yǐwài, hái děi kàn yùnqì.

Whether or not you can pass the exam for the public service, in addition to studying hard, it also depends on luck.

2 傷口多久會好，得看是哪裡受傷。

Shāngkǒu duōjiǔ huì hǎo, děi kàn shì nǎlǐ shòushāng.

How long it takes for an injury to heal depends on where the injury is.

3 產品有沒有競爭力，要看價格。要是價格太高怎麼會有人想買？

Chǎnpǐn yǒu méi yǒu jìngzhēnglì, yào kàn jiàgé. Yàoshi jiàgé tài gāo zěnme huì yǒu rén xiǎng mǎi?

Whether or not a product is competitive depends on the price. If the price is too high, how is anyone going to want to buy it?

4 在網路上賣東西生意好不好，要看賣家的信用好不好。

Zài wǎnglù shàng mài dōngxi shēngyì hǎo bù hǎo, yào kàn màijiā de xìnyòng hǎo bù hǎo.

Whether or not an online sales business will do well depends on the trustworthiness of the seller.

5 台灣的學費貴不貴，很難說。得看是私立的還是公立的學校。

Táiwān de xuéfèi guì bú guì, hěn nán shuō. Děi kàn shì sīlì de háishì gōnglì de xuéxiào.

It’s hard to say if tuition in Taiwan is high. It depends on whether the school is private or public.

 

Usage All the sentences above have a ‘whether... or not’ segment, but this is not a requirement. Sentences below do not.

1 微整型沒有傷口，什麼時候都可以做，不必看什麼時候放假。

Wéizhěngxíng méi yǒu shāngkǒu, shénme shíhòu dōu kěyǐ zuò, búbì kàn shénme shíhòu fàngjià.

There are no abrasions with micro-cosmetic surgery, so it can be done anytime. You don’t need to take into consideration when you have time off.

2 這是一件小事，不必看老闆的意見吧。

Zhè shì yí jiàn xiǎo shì, búbì kàn lǎobǎn de yìjiàn ba.

This is a small matter. No need to take the boss’ views into consideration.