Meaning of 故意
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- deliberately; on purpose
How to use 故意
故意 usually goes right before the verb to show an action was done on purpose. It often appears with 不是 to deny intent, as in apologies. Example: 对不起，我不是故意的。(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bú shì gùyì de.) Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose.
故 (gù) means a reason or cause, and 意 (yì) means intention. Doing something with a reason and an intention behind it means doing it on purpose.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 故意 (gùyì) with 故事 (gùshi, story) because they share 故. Also keep the tones right: both syllables are fourth tone, gù and yì.
故意 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.
故 gù · happening · 9 strokes
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意 yì · thought · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 故意.
| 意思 | yìsi | idea; opinion |
| 愿意 | yuànyì | to wish; to want |
| 故事 | gùshi | old practice |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
| 意见 | yìjiàn | idea; opinion |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied; pleased |
| 注意 | zhùyì | to take note of; to pay attention to |
| 同意 | tóngyì | to agree; to consent |
| 主意 | zhǔyi | plan; idea |
| 生意 | shēngyi | life force; vitality |
| 意外 | yìwài | unexpected; accident |
Questions about 故意
What does 故意 mean?
故意 (gùyì) means "deliberately; on purpose" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 故意?
故意 is made of 2 characters: 故 (9 strokes), 意 (13 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 故意 an HSK word?
Yes. 故意 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the opposite of 故意?
A common opposite is 不小心 (bù xiǎoxīn), meaning carelessly or by accident. For example, 我不小心打破了杯子 (Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn dǎpò le bēizi) means I accidentally broke the cup.
Does 故意 sound negative?
It often does, because people use it when someone does something annoying or harmful on purpose. It can also be neutral or playful, like 他故意不说 (tā gùyì bù shuō), he is keeping quiet on purpose.