意外

wài

Traditional: 意外

#1066 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

accident, unexpected, surprising

Word origin

A compound of 意 (yì, intention or expectation) and 外 (wài, outside), literally outside one's expectations, hence unexpected, a surprise or an accident.

Origin
compound
Root
意 (yì, expectation) + 外 (wài, outside)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 意

Stroke order for 外

Examples

This really is a surprise.

An accident happened on the road.

What he said surprised me a lot.

Accidents are always hard to avoid.

The result was not really a surprise.

意外 (yì wài) means accident, unexpected, surprising. It works as a noun for a mishap and an adjective for something unforeseen.

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This word is part of lesson 22.