Chinese phrase
不是我的本意 bú shì wǒ de běn yì
Meaning
That was not my intention
When to use it
States that something was not what the speaker intended. It often softens an apology or clarifies that hurtful words or actions were accidental.
Example dialogue
你刚才说的话让我很难过。 nǐ gāng cái shuō de huà ràng wǒ hěn nán guò
What you just said made me very upset.
抱歉，不是我的本意。 bào qiàn bú shì wǒ de běn yì
Sorry, that was not my intention.