The Chinese word "看来" is formed by combining the character 看 (kàn), meaning "to look" or "to observe", with 来 (lái), meaning "to come". This construction literally suggests the notion of "looking brings forth" or "from observation comes", where the act of seeing leads to an arrival at a perception or understanding. Over time, this literal sense evolved into a fixed expression used to indicate "it seems" or "apparently", encapsulating the idea that visual or mental observation yields a inferred conclusion.