Chinese word

不知不觉

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù zhī bù jué

Meaning

  • adverbbefore I knew it

Example

我不知不觉完成了作业。wǒ bù zhī bù jué wán chéng le zuò yè

I finished my homework before I knew it.

Illustration for 不知不觉 (before I knew it)

More examples

看着照片，我不知不觉笑了起来。kàn zhe zhào piān wǒ bù zhī bù jué xiào le qǐ lái

While looking at the photo, I started smiling before I knew it.

Core concept

Time, change, or an action quietly accumulates while the mind remains unaware of it.

Common phrases

  • 不知不觉已经bù zhī bù jué yǐ jīng

    already without realizing it

  • 不知不觉过去了bù zhī bù jué guò qù le

    go by before I knew it

  • 不知不觉睡着了bù zhī bù jué shuì zháo le

    fall asleep before I knew it

Similar words

不自觉bú zì jué: Describes doing something without being aware of doing it.
不觉bù jué: Describes a period passing or a change taking place unnoticed.
不经意间bù jīng yì jiān: Describes an event occurring while attention is not focused on it.
无意中wú yì zhōng: Describes an action or event occurring unintentionally.

Definition in Chinese

表示在没有注意或意识的情况下，时间流逝或事情悄然发生或已完成，常作副词修饰动词或整句，强调无察觉性。biǎo shì zài méi yǒu zhù yì huò yì shí de qíng kuàng xià shí jiān liú shì huò shì qíng qiǎo rán fā shēng huò yǐ wán chéng cháng zuò fù cí xiū shì dòng cí huò zhěng jù qiáng diào wú chá jué xìng

Word origin

不知不觉 (bùzhībùjué, "without knowing or noticing") combines 不知 (bùzhī, "not know") with 不觉 (bùjué, "not notice"), joining two kinds of unawareness into one adverbial expression.

Usage tips

  • This expression commonly describes gradual change, such as time passing or a habit forming, rather than a deliberate decision made in one clear moment.

Other meanings

  • without realizing itadverb
  • unconsciouslyadverb

Opposites

  • 有意识地yǒu yì shí dìconsciouslyadverb
  • 刻意地kè yì dìdeliberatelyadverb

Word lists with this word