Definition
无意 (wú yì) has two uses: as an adverb it means 'unintentionally, accidentally' (focusing on lack of intention), and as a verb it means 'to have no intention of (doing something)'. Unlike 偶然 (ǒu rán), which is an adjective describing events that happen by chance, 无意 emphasizes that the action was not intended. It also differs from 粗心大意 (cū xīn dà yì), which means 'careless' — 无意 does not imply negligence, just lack of intention.
adverb
unintentionallyaccidentally
verb
to have no intention of (doing something)
Easily confused
- 无疑wú yísound-alikeundoubtedly, without doubt
Examples
- 无意。Wǒ wú yì zhōng fāxiàn le zhège mìmì.I accidentally discovered this secret.
- 无意。Tā wú yì zhōng tí dào le nà jiàn shì.She unintentionally mentioned that matter.
- 无意。Wǒ wú yì cānjiā zhège pàiduì.I have no intention of attending this party.
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