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意外 (yì wài) — (adjective) unexpected, surprising; (noun) accident, mishap

Definition

意外 covers two related senses: as an adjective, 'unexpected, surprising' (like 突然, but broader than just 'sudden'); as a noun, an 'accident' — typically minor mishaps, lighter than 事故 (which implies serious harm).

adjective
unexpectedsurprising
noun
accidentmishap
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 意外。
    Lù shang fā shēng le yí gè yì wài.
    An accident happened on the road.
  • 意外。
    Zhè ge jié guǒ shì wán quán yì wài de.
    This result is completely unexpected.
  • 意外。
    Tā yì wài dì dé dào le zhè fèn gōng zuò.
    He unexpectedly got this job.

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.

意yìexpectation
外wàioutside

意 supplies expectation and 外 supplies outside, so the sense is beyond what is expected.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
月
月yuè外wài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Open 外 →
Appears in
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