Meaning of 不免
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inevitably
How to use 不免
不免 goes before a verb or adjective to say that a feeling or result naturally follows from a situation. It often describes emotions like worry, sadness, or nervousness. Example: 第一次上台，他不免有点紧张。(Dì yī cì shàng tái, tā bùmiǎn yǒudiǎn jǐnzhāng.) It was his first time on stage, so he was naturally a bit nervous.
不 (bù) means not, and 免 (miǎn) means to avoid or be exempt. If you cannot avoid something, it happens inevitably, so 不免 is "can't avoid" turned into an adverb.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 不免 with 免不了 (miǎnbuliǎo). 免不了 can take a noun object, as in 免不了麻烦, but 不免 is only an adverb and must come before a verb or adjective. Also note that 不 stays fourth tone here because 免 is third tone.
不免 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
免 miǎn · to excuse sb · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 不免.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
Questions about 不免
What does 不免 mean?
不免 (bùmiǎn) means "inevitably" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 不免?
不免 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 免 (7 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 不免 an HSK word?
Yes. 不免 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不免 and 难免?
Both mean something is hard to avoid. 难免 (nánmiǎn) can also work as an adjective, as in 这是难免的, while 不免 cannot. 不免 usually describes a reaction that already followed from a specific situation.
Is 不免 formal or casual?
It is fairly neutral but leans written and descriptive. You will see it often in stories and essays. In casual speech people often say 难免 or 免不了 instead.