HSK · Level 95
45 words
Chinese word
未免
Pronunciation
Pinyinwèi miǎn
Meaning
- adverba bit too
Example
这件事未免太简单了吧？zhè jiàn shì wèi miǎn tài jiǎn dān le ba
This matter is a bit too simple, isn't it?
More examples
他的夸奖未免过火了。tā de kuā jiǎng wèi miǎn guò huǒ le
His praise is rather excessive.
Core concept
Frames an adjective as going beyond what the situation calls for, with a mild edge of irony or disapproval.
Common phrases
未免过火wèi miǎn guò huǒ
rather excessive
未免言过其实wèi miǎn yán guò qí shí
rather exaggerated
Similar words
太tài: Shows a very high degree, amount, or intensity.
简直jiǎn zhí: Presents something as extreme, often with surprise or strong emotion.
过分guò fèn: Says that something goes beyond what is proper or acceptable.
Definition in Chinese
表示某事超过常理或预期而显得夸张或不合适，相当于'有点过分/太过'，通常用于修饰形容词或带感叹语气的句子。biǎo shì mǒu shì chāo guò cháng lǐ huò yù qī ér xiǎn de kuā zhāng huò bù hé shì xiāng dāng yú yóu diǎn guò fèn tài guò tōng cháng yòng yú xiū shì xíng róng cí huò dài gǎn tàn yǔ qì de jù zi
Word origin
未免 (wèimiǎn, "rather; too much") joins 未 (wèi, "not yet") and 免 (miǎn, "avoid"), moving from an idea of unavoidable outcome to the judgment that something has gone too far.
Usage tips
- The word is especially useful in rhetorical questions and complaints, where it signals a speaker's judgment without making the criticism fully direct.
Other meanings
- ratheradverb
- somewhatadverb
Opposites
- 不过分bú guò fēnnot excessiveadverb