不意 (bù yì) — unexpectedly; inadvertently (literary)

Definition

Literary adverb meaning 'unexpectedly, inadvertently' — a written/formal style, used instead of the everyday 突然 or 无意 in formal prose. Often appears in fixed phrases like 不意间, 不意之中, 不意之举.

adverb
unexpectedlyinadvertently (literary)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 不意。
    Tā bù yì fā xiàn le zhè ge mì mì.
    He unexpectedly discovered this secret.
  • ，不意。
    Wǒ wú yì zhōng shuō chū nà jù huà, zhēn shì bù yì zhī jǔ.
    I accidentally blurted out that sentence; it was truly an unintentional act.
  • 不意。
    Tā bù yì jiān tí dào le nà jiàn shì.
    He inadvertently mentioned that matter.

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
意yìthink/expect

The 不 'not' and 意 'think/expect' combine to mean 'unexpectedly'.

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 意 →

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