How common it is
意外 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say yìwài slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
意外是指没有预料到的事情，有时是坏事，有时是好事。
Yì wài shì zhǐ méi yǒu yù liào dào de shì qíng, yǒu shí shì huài shì, yǒu shí shì hǎo shì.
An accident is something that was not expected, sometimes bad, sometimes good.
Context note
生活中要小心避免意外，比如走路时不要跑太快。
Shēng huó zhōng yào xiǎo xīn bì miǎn yì wài, bǐ rú zǒu lù shí bú yào pǎo tài kuài.
In life, be careful to avoid accidents, for example, don't run too fast when walking.
5 examples
这次意外让他摔倒了。
zhè cì yì wài ràng tā shuāi dǎo le。
This accident made him fall down.
意外收到礼物，他很开心。
yì wài shōu dào lǐ wù， tā hěn kāi xīn。
He was happy to receive an unexpected gift.
我们要预防意外发生。
wǒ men yào yù fáng yì wài fā shēng。
We need to prevent accidents from happening.
这个意外结果让大家惊讶。
zhè ge yì wài jié guǒ ràng dà jiā jīng yà。
This unexpected result surprised everyone.
意外中他找到了丢失的玩具。
yì wài zhōng tā zhǎo dào le diū shī de wán jù。
By accident, he found the lost toy.
5 mini stories
小刚跑步时不小心摔倒了，这是一个小意外。他站起来拍拍土。
xiǎo gāng pǎo bù shí bù xiǎo xīn shuāi dǎo le， zhè shì yí gè xiǎo yì wài。 tā zhàn qǐ lái pāi pāi tǔ。
Xiao Gang accidentally fell while running; it was a small accident. He stood up and dusted himself off.
意外的是，小丽在公园里遇到了老朋友。他们一起玩秋千。
yì wài de shì， xiǎo lì zài gōng yuán lǐ yù dào le lǎo péng yǒu。 tā men yì qǐ wán qiū qiān。
Unexpectedly, Xiao Li met an old friend in the park. They played on the swings together.
因为意外，今天的比赛取消了。大家有点失望。
yīn wèi yì wài， jīn tiān de bǐ sài qǔ xiāo le。 dà jiā yǒu diǎn shī wàng。
Because of an accident, today's game was canceled. Everyone was a bit disappointed.
小华意外发现了一只小猫咪。他把它带回家照顾。
xiǎo huá yì wài fā xiàn le yì zhī xiǎo māo mī。 tā bǎ tā dài huí jiā zhào gù。
Xiao Hua accidentally found a little kitten. He took it home to take care of it.
意外让小明迟到了，但他向老师道歉了。
yì wài ràng xiǎo míng chí dào le， dàn tā xiàng lǎo shī dào qiàn le。
An accident made Xiao Ming late, but he apologized to the teacher.