HSK · Level 80
45 words
Chinese word
不经意
Pronunciation
Pinyinbù jīng yì
Meaning
- adjectivecasual
Example
不经意的笑容让她心动。bù jīng yì de xiào róng ràng tā xīn dòng
Her casual smile makes her heart flutter.
More examples
他的不经意的举动暴露了紧张。tā de bù jīng yì de jǔ dòng bào lù le jǐn zhāng
His casual gesture revealed his nervousness.
Core concept
A brief action, expression, or remark that slips out without deliberate planning.
Common phrases
不经意的举动bù jīng yì de jǔ dòng
casual gesture
不经意的表情bù jīng yì de biǎo qíng
casual expression
不经意的微笑bù jīng yì de wēi xiào
casual smile
Similar words
无意wú yì: Describes behavior that is not deliberate and has no intended purpose.
无心wú xīn: Describes behavior that happens because it was not consciously considered.
不经心bù jīng xīn: Describes an inattentive or careless action that goes unnoticed at the time.
偶然ǒu rán: Describes an event that occurs by chance, without a planned reason.
Definition in Chinese
无意间发生的、没有刻意控制或计划的行为、表情或话语，常带短暂性和随意感。wú yì jiān fā shēng de méi yǒu kè yì kòng zhì huò jì huà de xíng wéi biǎo qíng huò huà yǔ cháng dài duǎn zàn xìng hé suí yì gǎn
Word origin
不 (bù, "not") + 经意 (jīngyì, "deliberate attention") presents an unplanned act, expression, or remark as something outside deliberate control.
Usage tips
- The English word casual often suggests an informal style, so a Chinese description of an unplanned smile may need spontaneous or unforced in context.
Other meanings
- without thinkingadverb
- unintentionallyadverb
Opposites
- 故意gù yìdeliberateadjective
- 有意识yǒu yì shíconsciousadjective
Related words
- 不经意地bù jīng yì dìcasuallyadverb
- 不经意间bù jīng yì jiānin an unguarded momentadverb