<p>看出来 is idiom for "appear to"</p>

<p>so 看不出来 means "appear not to be"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-06T23:35:13.317Z
2014-06-06T23:35:13.317Z
Fabricator
<p>"真看不出来你是外国人?" means that you don't look like foreigners. <br>
It is better to use "真看不出你是外国人。"<br>
If translated directly,<br>
真Really<br>
看不出can't tell<br>
你you<br>
是are<br>
外国人foreigners</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-09T16:30:55.120Z
2014-06-09T16:30:55.120Z
Learning-guy
<p>I'd translate the phrase 看不出来 as 'can't tell' or 'can't make out', as in 'I can't make out what that says', if there's a sign and you can see the sign (the 看 bit) but not what is written on it (the reading sense of 看 plus 不出来, a negative resultative complement to say that it is not being revealed). In the original sentence you give, it would be best translated into English as 'You really can't tell (or I really couldn't tell) that you're (or you were) foreign.'</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-09T07:52:08.683Z
2014-06-09T07:52:08.683Z
Aileen7123
<h1>出来</h1>
<h1>CC-CEDICT</h1>
<blockquote>
<p>(after a verb, indicates coming out, completion of an action, or ability to discern or detect)</p>
</blockquote>
<h1>KEY</h1>
<blockquote>
<p>... out (verb complement indicating achievement or completion of a task, e.g., 打出來/打出来 dǎ chūlai &quot;type out&quot;, &quot;hammer out [sth on a typewriter or word processor]&quot;)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think KEYs definition here is particularly helpful if we use this to look at:
看+出来 we have see+out which is the same as 'make out'</p>
<h1>A Chinese-English Dictionary</h1>
<blockquote>
<p>1 (used after a verb, indicating motion out towards the speaker)
2 (used after a verb, indicating the completion of an action)
3 (used after a verb, indicating revealing, detecting, etc.)</p>
</blockquote>
<h1>Oxford</h1>
<blockquote>
<p>表由隐蔽到显露 [used after a verb indicating revealing]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>出来 has a lot of uses but the general idea is, exactly like the word indicates, coming out.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-07T03:04:38.537Z
2014-06-07T03:04:38.537Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>It means "cannot tell..."</p>

<p>Here in this sentence, 看不出来 should be comprehended together. 看不出来 equals to 看不出. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-07T02:51:49.670Z
2014-06-07T02:51:49.670Z
Saihantal
<blockquote>
<p>我看不出来 = I can't seem to make sth. out (visually)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For example: if it's raining or not; if it's a dog or a cat; if he is Japanese or Korean.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-21T22:02:42.603Z
2020-06-21T22:45:46.357Z
2020-06-21T22:45:46.357Z
Kantura
<p>What does 出来 mean in this sentence?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>真看不出来你是外国人</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Doesn't 出来 mean "come out of ..."?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-07T12:36:11.503Z
`看不出来` in Chinese is used as a phrase. It means  it  does not  look like.
einverne
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-09T14:36:11.153Z
I would say 真看不出你是外国人 is more common.
Kiddy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-23T13:44:04.903Z
Just my personal take. A term with the similar motion and dynamic in English would be "make out sth". "I can't make out what's happening inside". 出來 is similar to "make out" with the motion and dynamic.
Daniel Cheung
<meaning><difference>
What does 出来 mean in 真看不出来你是外国人?
# What does 出来 mean in 真看不出来你是外国人?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-06-06)

What does 出来 mean in this sentence?

> 真看不出来你是外国人

Doesn't 出来 mean "come out of ..."?

**Tags:** meaning, difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: `看不出来` in Chinese is used as a phrase. It means  it  does not  look like.  
> **username_2**: I would say 真看不出你是外国人 is more common.  
> **username_3**: Just my personal take. A term with the similar motion and dynamic in English would be "make out sth". "I can't make out what's happening inside". 出來 is similar to "make out" with the motion and dynamic.  

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## 6 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-06-06. Score: 11

看出来 is idiom for "appear to"

so 看不出来 means "appear not to be"


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-06-09. Score: 5

"真看不出来你是外国人?" means that you don't look like foreigners.   
It is better to use "真看不出你是外国人。"  
If translated directly,  
真Really  
看不出can't tell  
你you  
是are  
外国人foreigners


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-06-09. Score: 4

I'd translate the phrase 看不出来 as 'can't tell' or 'can't make out', as in 'I can't make out what that says', if there's a sign and you can see the sign (the 看 bit) but not what is written on it (the reading sense of 看 plus 不出来, a negative resultative complement to say that it is not being revealed). In the original sentence you give, it would be best translated into English as 'You really can't tell (or I really couldn't tell) that you're (or you were) foreign.'


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### Answer by username_7 on 2014-06-07. Score: 4

# 出来

# CC-CEDICT

> (after a verb, indicates coming out, completion of an action, or ability to discern or detect)

# KEY

> ... out (verb complement indicating achievement or completion of a task, e.g., 打出來/打出来 dǎ chūlai "type out", "hammer out [sth on a typewriter or word processor]")

I think KEYs definition here is particularly helpful if we use this to look at:
看+出来 we have see+out which is the same as 'make out'

# A Chinese-English Dictionary

> 1 (used after a verb, indicating motion out towards the speaker)
> 2 (used after a verb, indicating the completion of an action)
> 3 (used after a verb, indicating revealing, detecting, etc.)

# Oxford

> 表由隐蔽到显露 [used after a verb indicating revealing]

出来 has a lot of uses but the general idea is, exactly like the word indicates, coming out.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2014-06-07. Score: 3

It means "cannot tell..."

Here in this sentence, 看不出来 should be comprehended together. 看不出来 equals to 看不出.


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### Answer by username_9 on 2020-06-21. Score: 1

> 我看不出来 = I can't seem to make sth. out (visually)

For example: if it's raining or not; if it's a dog or a cat; if he is Japanese or Korean.


---

