How to Say “From My Perspective” in Chinese (来说)
来说 (láishuō) opens a sentence with a viewpoint. 对 + Person + 来说 says “for / to someone, as far as they’re concerned”: 对我来说，中文不难 (“for me, Chinese isn’t hard”). A fixed adverb + 来说 gives set phrases for HOW you’re speaking: 一般来说 (generally speaking), 总的来说 (overall), 严格来说 (strictly speaking), 相对来说 (relatively speaking), 具体来说 (specifically). All of them front the sentence.
Why this trips learners up
The different phrases with 来说 look unrelated at first, but they do one job: a word or short phrase plus 来说 opens the sentence and sets a point of view before the comment. That framing is how to say “from my perspective” in Chinese, and once you see the shared 来说, the whole family falls into place.
The colloquial one is 对 + Person + 来说. English says “for me” or “to me” and then gives that person’s take: 对我来说，睡眠最重要 (“for me, sleep matters most”), 对学生来说，暑假太短了 (“for students, summer break is too short”). Careful, though: this is viewpoint, “as far as I’m concerned,” not the beneficiary “for me.” Doing a favour FOR someone is 给我 or 为我; seeing things FROM someone’s side is 对我来说.
The other half is a set of frozen adverb + 来说 phrases you learn as vocabulary. They frame HOW you’re speaking: 一般来说 (generally speaking), 总的来说 (overall, in general), 严格来说 (strictly speaking, technically), 相对来说 (relatively speaking), 具体来说 (specifically). 一般来说，周末的机票更贵 (“generally speaking, weekend flights cost more”); 严格来说，西红柿是水果 (“strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit”).
Two habits keep it clean. First, the 来说 phrase goes at the front, with a comma after it; it doesn’t trail the sentence the way English “for me” sometimes can. Second, only the 对 form takes a noun in the middle (对……来说). The adverb phrases are fixed, so you can’t slot a noun into them: it is 对这家店来说 or 相对来说, never 相对这家店来说.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
duì 对 Pattern wǒ 我 Object láishuō 来说 Pattern shuìmián 睡眠 Subject zuì 最 Adverb zhòngyào 重要 Adjective
For me, sleep matters most. (对 + 我 + 来说 sets my viewpoint, then the comment.)
duì 对 Pattern xuésheng 学生 Object láishuō 来说 Pattern shǔjià 暑假 Subject tài 太 Adverb duǎn 短 Adjective le 了 Function word
For students, summer break is too short. (对 + a group + 来说.)
yìbān 一般 Adverb láishuō 来说 Pattern zhōumò de jīpiào 周末的机票 Subject gèng 更 Adverb guì 贵 Adjective
Generally speaking, weekend flights are more expensive. (The set phrase 一般来说.)
duì 对 Pattern hěn duō niánqīngrén 很多年轻人 Object láishuō 来说 Pattern mǎi fáng 买房 Subject shì 是 Verb ge 个 Measure word dà wèntí 大问题 Object
For many young people, buying a home is a big problem. (对 + a longer phrase + 来说.)
zǒngde 总的 Adverb láishuō 来说 Pattern jīnnián de xiāoshòu 今年的销售 Subject búcuò 不错 Adjective
Overall, this year’s sales were pretty good. (The set phrase 总的来说.)
yángé 严格 Adverb láishuō 来说 Pattern xīhóngshì 西红柿 Subject shì 是 Verb shuǐguǒ 水果 Object bù 不 Negation shì 是 Verb shūcài 蔬菜 Object
Strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. (严格来说, often before a correction.)
xiāngduì 相对 Adverb láishuō 来说 Pattern zhè jiā cāntīng de jiàgé 这家餐厅的价格 Subject gèng 更 Adverb hélǐ 合理 Adjective
Relatively speaking, this restaurant’s prices are more reasonable. (The set phrase 相对来说.)
jùtǐ 具体 Adverb láishuō 来说 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Subject xūyào 需要 Verb xiān 先 Adverb zuò 做 Verb sān 三 Number jiàn 件 Measure word shì 事 Object
Specifically, we need to do three things first. (具体来说 narrows down to the detail.)
Common mistakes
Why it happens: The 来说 phrase opens the sentence to set the viewpoint first; it doesn’t trail at the end. It’s 对我来说，中文不容易, never 中文不容易对我来说. Front it, with a comma after.
Why it happens: The “as far as I’m concerned” meaning needs the full 对……来说 bracket. Bare 对我 reads as “toward me” and leaves the sentence hanging; add 来说: 对我来说，这个决定很难.
Why it happens: Only 对 takes a noun in the middle (对……来说). The adverb phrases like 相对来说 and 一般来说 are frozen, so you can’t drop a noun inside them. To bring in a specific thing, use 对: 对这家店来说, not 相对这家店来说.
Compare & contrast
| 对 + Noun + 来说 (whose view) | Adverb + 来说 (set phrase) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 对我来说，这不难。duì wǒ láishuō, zhè bù nán. | 一般来说，这不难。yìbān láishuō, zhè bù nán. | 对我来说，这不难 pins the judgment to a person (“for me, this isn’t hard,” maybe hard for others). 一般来说，这不难 makes it a general claim (“as a rule, this isn’t hard”). Same comment, different frame: one personal, one general. |
| 对新手来说，这个游戏很难。duì xīnshǒu láishuō, zhège yóuxì hěn nán. | 相对来说，这个游戏很难。xiāngduì láishuō, zhège yóuxì hěn nán. | 对新手来说，这个游戏很难 says it’s hard from a beginner’s point of view. 相对来说，这个游戏很难 says it’s hard compared with other games. 对……来说 names whose view; 相对来说 names the manner of the claim. |
Try it yourself
Say “For me, time is the most important thing.” Use 对 + Person + 来说，Comment: 对我来说，时间最重要。
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “From My Perspective” in Chinese (来说) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.