意外

• 拼音: yì wài
• 汉字拆解: 意 = 音 (sound) + 心 (heart), meaning 'thought' or 'intention'; 外 = 夕 (evening) + 卜 (divination), meaning 'outside'

含义

Unexpected; an accident or surprise. Describes something unforeseen, or refers to an unfortunate incident.

Functions as both an adjective meaning 'unexpected' and a noun meaning 'accident' or 'unforeseen event'. As an adjective, it can describe both pleasant surprises and unwelcome shocks. As a noun, it often refers to accidents or mishaps, as in 发生意外 (an accident occurred). The context determines whether the connotation is positive or negative.

例句

1. 这个结果让大家都很意外。
2. 路上发生了一个小意外，所以我迟到了。
3. 收到他的礼物，她感到很意外。

用法指南

语境: everyday, news, narrative

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 真是太意外了！(That was really unexpected!)
• 希望不要再发生意外。(I hope no more accidents happen.)

错误说法

• 我意外了一个好消息。(Don't use 意外 as a verb — it is an adjective or noun. Say 我意外地听到了一个好消息 or 我收到了一个意外的好消息.)

起源与历史

意 (thought/expectation) + 外 (outside). Literally 'outside of expectations' — something beyond what was anticipated.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal