Chinese word

以免

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǐ miǎn

Meaning

  • conjunctionso as not to

Example

请早点出发，以免错过火车。qǐng záo diǎn chū fā yí miǎn cuò guò huǒ chē

Please leave early so as not to miss the train.

Illustration for 以免 (so as not to)

More examples

请写清楚时间和地点，以免发生误会。qǐng xiě qīng chǔ shí jiān hé dì diǎn yí miǎn fā shēng wù huì

Please write the time and place clearly so as not to cause misunderstandings.

Core concept

An action is linked to the bad outcome it is meant to keep away.

Common phrases

  • 以免发生误会yí miǎn fā shēng wù huì

    so as not to cause misunderstandings

  • 以免耽误行程yí miǎn dān wù xíng chéng

    so as not to delay the trip

  • 以免发生事故yí miǎn fā shēng shì gù

    so as not to cause accidents

Similar words

以防yǐ fáng: Showing that an action is taken ahead of time to guard against danger or problems.
免得miǎn de: Showing in common speech that an action is taken to keep an unwanted result from happening.
省得shěng de: Showing that an action is taken early to prevent hassle or waste.

Definition in Chinese

表示为了避免某种不希望发生的情况而采取行动或提出劝告，常置于句末，意为“为了不……”。biǎo shì wèi le bì miǎn móu zhǒng bù xī wàng fā shēng de qíng kuàng ér cái qǔ xíng dòng huò tí chū quàn gào cháng zhì yú jù mò yì wèi wèi le bù

Word origin

The word combines 以 (yǐ, "for the purpose of") + 免 (miǎn, "avoid or be spared from"), so it marks an action aimed at preventing an unwanted result.

Usage tips

  • The usual sentence pattern places this connector after the first clause, while the following clause names the result that the earlier action is meant to prevent.

Other meanings

  • to avoidconjunction

Opposites

Word lists with this word