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不测 (bù cè) — unforeseen accident; contingency; mishap

Definition

A literary/formal noun for an unpredictable accident or disaster. Almost always paired with 发生, 遭遇, or 险遭 — it rarely stands alone.

noun
unforeseen accidentcontingencymishap

Examples

  • ，。
    Chū mén lǚ xíng yào xiǎo xīn, yǐ fáng bù cè.
    When traveling, be careful to guard against accidents.
  • 不测。
    Shuí yě méi xiǎng dào huì fā shēng zhè yàng de bù cè.
    No one expected such an accident to happen.
  • 不测，。
    Miàn duì bù cè, wǒ men yào bǎo chí lěng jìng.
    In the face of unforeseen events, we must stay calm.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

不bùnot
测cèpredict

不 means 'not' and 测 means 'predict', so the word is unforeseen.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 測; 测 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
則
則zé測cè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 測 combines 氵 (water) with 則 for the sound; it is explained as measuring the depth of water. The simplified 测 is a later shorthand.

Open 测 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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