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不幸 (bù xìng) — (adjective) unfortunate, sad; (noun) misfortune, adversity

Definition

不幸 is used for genuine misfortune or adversity, with a heavier, more serious tone than 可惜 (a mild 'what a pity'). As a sentence adverb ('unfortunately'), it's more formal than the everyday 可惜的是.

adjective
unfortunatesad
noun
misfortuneadversity
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 不幸。
    Tā yù dào le bù xìng de shì.
    He encountered something unfortunate.
  • 不幸。
    Shēng huó zhōng zǒng shì yǒu bù xìng.
    There are always misfortunes in life.
  • 不幸，。
    bù xìng De shì, wǒ méi yǒu mǎi dào piào.
    Unfortunately, I didn't manage to buy a ticket.

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bùnot
幸xìngfortunate

不 means not and 幸 means fortunate, so the word means misfortune or unfortunate.

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.

Open 不 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 幸 →
Appears in
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