English–Chinese
“without meaning to” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinbù yóu zì zhǔ
Example
他看到小狗，不由自主地笑了。tā kàn dào xiáo gǒu bù yóu zì zhǔ dì xiào le
He saw the puppy and smiled without meaning to.
How to say “without meaning to” in Chinese
“Without meaning to” in Chinese is 不由自主 (bù yóu zì zhǔ).
A strong feeling or sudden stimulus moves the body before conscious choice can direct it.
Example sentences with 不由自主
听到笑话，大家不由自主地笑了起来。tīng dào xiào huà dà jiā bù yóu zì zhǔ dì xiào le qǐ lái
After hearing the joke, everyone started laughing involuntarily.
Tips for using 不由自主
- English can make an unplanned action sound careless, but this word often presents it as a natural reaction caused by strong feeling or sudden stimulation.