Meaning of 不幸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- misfortune
- adversity
- unfortunate
- sad
- unfortunately
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 不幸
不幸 works as an adjective (unfortunate), a noun (misfortune), and as an adverb meaning unfortunately, often placed before a verb in news or formal writing. Example: 他不幸受伤了。(Tā bùxìng shòushāng le.) He was unfortunately injured.
不 (bù) means not, and 幸 (xìng) means good luck or fortune, as in 幸运 (xìngyùn). Put them together and you get not lucky, which is unfortunate or misfortune.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 幸 (xìng) with 辛 (xīn, as in 辛苦), which looks similar but has no top 土 and has a different tone. Also, 不 stays fourth tone here because 幸 is fourth tone, so 不 changes to second tone: say búxìng.
不幸 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
幸 xìng · favor · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 不幸.
| 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 不幸
What does 不幸 mean?
不幸 (bùxìng) means "misfortune; adversity" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 不幸?
不幸 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 幸 (8 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 不幸 an HSK word?
Yes. 不幸 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 不幸 for small everyday bad luck, like missing a bus?
It usually sounds too heavy for that. 不幸 suits serious events like accidents, illness or death. For small things, people say 倒霉 (dǎoméi) or 真不巧 (zhēn bù qiǎo).
What does 不幸中的万幸 mean?
It means a blessing in the middle of misfortune, like saying it could have been much worse. People say it when something bad happens but the worst outcome was avoided, for example no one was hurt.