不免 (bù miǎn) — inevitably, cannot help but | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

不免 (bù miǎn) means 'can't help but / inevitably' — it describes a natural, almost automatic reaction, weaker than the firm certainty of 势必 or 必将.

adverb

inevitablycannot help but

Examples

，不免。
Měi tiān gōng zuò dào hěn wǎn, shēn tǐ bù miǎn huì gǎn dào pí láo.
Working late every day, your body will inevitably feel tired.
，不免。
Kàn dào nà xiē hái zi méi shū dú, tā bù miǎn nán guò.
Seeing those children without books to read, he couldn't help but feel sad.
，不免。
Xià yǔ tiān lù huá, kāi chē bù miǎn yào duō jiā xiǎo xīn.
When it rains and the road is slippery, driving inevitably requires extra caution.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不 expresses not, and 免 expresses avoid, so together they mean cannot avoid.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

免 originally drew a man wearing a ceremonial hat. It was later used for meanings such as avoid and exempt.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 5

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