Meaning
猜测 means to make an educated guess or speculation about something without having complete information. It combines the idea of guessing (猜) with measuring or estimating (测), suggesting a thoughtful attempt to figure something out rather than a random guess. It can function as both a verb meaning 'to speculate' and a noun meaning 'speculation' or 'conjecture'.
Usage
猜测 is commonly used in both spoken and written Mandarin when discussing assumptions, hypotheses, or educated guesses. It's more formal than simple 猜 (to guess) and implies a reasoning process. Often used in contexts like news reports, academic discussions, or when analyzing situations where facts are incomplete. Native speakers frequently pair it with 我 (I) or use it in phrases like 据我猜测 (according to my speculation).
Examples
- 01我猜测他今天不会来了，因为外面下大雨。, .I guess he won't come today because it's raining heavily outside.
- 02这只是我的猜测，具体情况还需要进一步调查。, .This is just my speculation; the specific situation still requires further investigation.
Characters
Common collocations
- 据猜测according to speculation
- 大胆猜测to boldly speculate
- 合理猜测reasonable guess/conjecture
- 随意猜测to speculate randomly
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 猜 (guess) with 测 (measure/estimate), creating a compound that suggests a more analytical form of guessing based on observation and reasoning rather than pure chance.