HSK 5 · Adjectives

意外 yìwài “unexpected” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 意外 means

  1. unexpected
  2. accident
  3. mishap

Measure word 个 gè · 一个意外 yí ge yìwài

How to say 意外

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale意yì4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale外wài4th tone, falling

意外 in a sentence

  1. 这真是很意外。

    Zhè zhēnshi hěn yìwài.

    That really is unexpected.

    Sentence #334163 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 他在回家途中出了意外。

    Tā zài huíjiā túzhōng chū le yìwài.

    He had an accident on his way home.

    Sentence #375255 from Tatoeba

  3. 不要害怕意外，但要有准备。

    Búyào hàipà yìwài, dàn yào yǒu zhǔnbèi.

    Don’t fear the unexpected, but be prepared for it.

    Sentence #881724 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 意外 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 意 (yì) with each of its parts in a different colour
意yìidea; thought; meaning; sense
  • 音sound · yīnSound part
  • 心heart · xīnMeaning part

心 hints at the meaning (heart); 音 (yīn) hints at the sound. Compare it with yì.

Memory aidA sound 音 from the heart 心: a thought, a meaning.

The character 外 (wài) with each of its parts in a different colour
外wàioutside
  • 夕evening · xī
  • 卜divination · bǔ

Memory aidEvening 夕 beside a divination crack 卜. Picture fortune-telling done at night, out of doors: outside.

How to write 意外

意 13 strokes · 外 5 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

意外 (yìwài) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 意外 (yìwài). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 意外

Words with 意

意思yìsi · meaning没意思méiyìsi · boring有意思yǒuyìsi · interesting不好意思bùhǎoyìsi · to feel embarrassed同意tóngyì · agree愿意yuànyì · be willing注意zhùyì · pay attention to满意mǎnyì · satisfied意见yìjiàn · idea得意déyì · proud of oneself

Words with 外

外边wàibian · outside外wài · outside外国wàiguó · foreign (country)外面wàimiàn · outside外卖wàimài · takeaway (food)外地wàidì · another part of the country外语wàiyǔ · foreign language以外yǐwài · apart from另外lìngwài · additional外公wàigōng · grandpa (mother’s father)

More words: Adjectives

迅速xùnsù · rapid严肃yánsù · solemn硬yìng · hard一致yízhì · consistent英俊yīngjùn · handsome用功yònggōng · hard-working (at study)拥挤yōngjǐ · crowded优美yōuměi · graceful

FAQs

意外 (yìwài) means “unexpected” or “accident”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it yìwài: yì with a 4th tone, then wài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 意外 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one unexpected is 一个意外 (yí ge yìwài).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type yiwai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 意外 from the suggestions. Typing yiwai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
意外 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.