Definition
不经意 means 'inadvertently' — doing something without intending to or without paying attention, often causing an accidental result. It contrasts with 胡乱 (hú luàn), which implies a reckless or random manner, and with 不知不觉 (bù zhī bù jué), which describes a gradual unawareness. Unlike 粗心大意 (cū xīn dà yì), which is a personal trait of being careless, 不经意 is used for momentary actions.
phrase
not paying attentioncarelesslyby accidentinadvertently
Examples
- 不经意。Tā bù jīng yì de shuō cuò le huà.He said the wrong thing without paying attention.
- 不经意，。bù jīng yì jiān, wǒ kàn dào le tā de xiàoróng.Inadvertently, I caught sight of her smile.
- 不经意。Tā bù jīng yì de fāxiàn le wèntí de dá'àn.She accidentally discovered the answer to the problem.
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