猜想

• Pinyin: cāi xiǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 猜 = to guess; 想 = 相 (mutual/appearance) + 心 (heart), meaning to think

Meaning

To guess; to conjecture; to suppose. Making an educated guess based on limited information.

Can be used both as a verb (to conjecture) and as a noun (a conjecture). In academic contexts, refers to hypotheses or conjectures (如哥德巴赫猜想). More thoughtful than 猜测, implying some reasoning behind the guess.

Examples

1. 我猜想他可能是因为工作太忙才没来。 I guess he probably didn't come because he was too busy with work.
2. 科学家提出了一个大胆的猜想，但还需要验证。 The scientist proposed a bold conjecture, but it still needs verification.
3. 不要随意猜想别人的动机。 Don't casually speculate about other people's motives.

Usage Guide

Context: speculation, academic, everyday

Tone: tentative

Do Say

• 我猜想事情没那么简单。(I suspect things aren't that simple.)
• 这只是一个猜想。(This is just a conjecture.)

Don't Say

• 我猜想明天会下雨。(For weather predictions, use 估计 or 觉得 — 猜想 implies deeper speculation)

Origin & History

猜 (to guess) + 想 (to think). A compound suggesting guessing combined with thinking or imagining.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal