Meaning of 猜测
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to guess
- to conjecture
- to surmise
How to use 猜测
猜测 is more formal than the everyday 猜 (cāi) and often appears in writing, news, or careful speech. It works as a verb and also as a noun meaning a guess or speculation. Example: 这只是我的猜测。(Zhè zhǐ shì wǒ de cāicè.) This is just my guess.
猜 (cāi) has the animal radical 犭 on the left, like a clever fox trying to figure something out. 测 (cè) has the water radical 氵, so picture measuring how deep water is. Together, 猜测 means to figure out or estimate something you cannot see clearly.
Common mistake: Learners often write 测 (cè) as 侧 (cè, side) or 厕 (cè, toilet), which sound the same but look different. Remember that 测 uses the water radical 氵. Also keep 猜 in the first tone, cāi, not cài.
猜测 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
猜 cāi · to guess · 11 strokes
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测 cè · to survey · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 猜测.
| 测试 | cèshì | to test (machinery etc); to test (a person's skill in a particular area) |
| 检测 | jiǎncè | to test; to detect |
| 预测 | yùcè | to forecast; to predict |
| 测量 | cèliáng | survey; to measure |
| 监测 | jiāncè | to monitor |
| 测定 | cèdìng | to determine (by measuring or surveying) |
| 推测 | tuīcè | speculation; to conjecture |
| 猜想 | cāixiǎng | to guess; to conjecture; to suppose; (math.) conjecture; hypothesis |
| 探测 | tàncè | to probe; to survey |
| 测验 | cèyàn | test; to test |
| 观测 | guāncè | to observe; to survey |
| 猜谜 | cāimí | to answer a riddle; to guess (i.e. form an opinion without much evidence) |
Questions about 猜测
What does 猜测 mean?
猜测 (cāicè) means "to guess; to conjecture" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 猜测?
猜测 is made of 2 characters: 猜 (11 strokes), 测 (9 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 猜测 an HSK word?
Yes. 猜测 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 猜测 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 猜测 is written 猜測.
What is the difference between 猜 and 猜测?
猜 is short and casual, as in 你猜 (nǐ cāi), you guess, often used in games or conversation. 猜测 sounds more formal and is used for speculating about facts, causes, or intentions. Only 猜测 is commonly used as a noun, as in 各种猜测 (gè zhǒng cāicè), all kinds of speculation.
How is 猜测 different from 预测?
预测 (yùcè) means to predict or forecast the future, often based on data, like a weather forecast. 猜测 is a guess about anything unknown, past, present, or future, usually without solid evidence.