避免 (bì miǎn) — to avoid; to prevent | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

避免 is a written-form verb meaning 'avoid / prevent (something bad from happening)'. It focuses on keeping a bad outcome away (avoid trouble, avoid mistakes), unlike 防止 or 预防 which stress guarding against a specific risk.

verb

to avoidto prevent

Examples

避免。
Wǒ men yīng gāi bì miǎn bú bì yào de má fan.
We should avoid unnecessary trouble.
避免，。
Wèi le bì miǎn chí dào, tā měi tiān zǎo qǐ.
To avoid being late, he gets up early every day.
，避免。
Qǐng rèn zhēn jiǎn chá, bì miǎn chū xiàn cuò wù.
Please check carefully to avoid mistakes.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

免miǎnprevent

Both 避 and 免 mean to keep away or prevent; together they express avoiding something.

Characters in this word

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

辶辟避

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk

Sound part声符shēngfú

辟

辟pì避bì

Same sound today

避 is built from 辶, a walking-related form, plus 辟, which gives the pronunciation.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

免 originally drew a man wearing a ceremonial hat. It was later used for meanings such as avoid and exempt.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.