Chinese word

特意

Pronunciation

Pinyintè yì

Meaning

  • adverbgo out of one's way

Example

他特意来参加我的生日会。tā tè yì lái cān jiā wǒ de shēng rì huì

He went out of his way to come to my birthday party.

Illustration for 特意 (go out of one's way)

More examples

他特意来帮我搬家。tā tè yì lái bāng wǒ bān jiā

He went out of his way to come and help me move.

Core concept

A purposeful choice to do something beyond the ordinary plan, with attention to a specific goal.

Common phrases

  • 特意来tè yì lái

    go out of one's way to come

  • 特意为tè yì wèi

    go out of one's way for

Similar words

专门zhuān mén: Doing or preparing something specifically for a certain purpose or person.
特地tè dì: Going somewhere or taking extra time especially to achieve a particular purpose.
故意gù yì: Acting on purpose with the aim of causing a bad result.
刻意kè yì: Doing something through conscious planning and deliberate effort.

Definition in Chinese

有意识地为某事做出特别的安排或动作，常指为了某个目的而专门去做某件事。yǒu yì shí dì wèi mǒu shì zuò chū tè bié de ān pái huò dòng zuò cháng zhǐ wèi le mǒu gè mù dì ér zhuān mén qù zuò mǒu jiàn shì

Word origin

特意 (tèyì, "special purpose") is formed from 特 (tè, "special") + 意 (yì, "intention"), so its structure points to acting with a distinct intention.

Usage tips

  • It can describe a purposeful choice without implying reluctance or annoyance, so the same form works for a friendly visit, a planned purchase, or a special arrangement.

Other meanings

  • especiallyadverb

Opposites

  • 无意中wú yì zhōngunintentionallyadverb
  • 偶然ǒu ránaccidentallyadverb

Word lists with this word