Definition
唯恐 is a formal verb meaning 'to fear that (something will happen)' or 'to be afraid lest'. It introduces a clause expressing the thing you worry about, often used in writing or formal speech. Unlike 害怕 (which focuses on the feeling of fear), 唯恐 emphasizes the anticipation of an undesirable outcome. It can also be written as 惟恐.
v
(formal) to fear thatto be afraid lest
Examples
- 唯恐，。Wǒ wéi tā huì shēngqì, suǒyǐ méi gǎn shuō.I was afraid he would get angry, so I didn't dare to say it.
- 唯恐，。Tā wéi kǎoshì bù jígé, tiāntiān fùxí dào hěn wǎn.He feared failing the exam, so he reviewed until late every day.
- 唯恐，。Wǒmen wéi chūcuò, měi yí bù dōu jiǎnchá le hǎo jǐ biàn.We were afraid of making mistakes, so we checked every step several times.
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