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免

miǎn
verb HSK 7-9 #3,848

Meanings

  1. 1 to exempt; to excuse from
  2. 2 to avoid; to prevent
  3. 3 free (of charge)

Examples

免费入场。
Miǎnfèi rùchǎng.
Free admission.
避免犯错。
Bìmiǎn fàncuò.
Avoid making mistakes.

Tips

usage
免费 = free of charge, 避免 = to avoid.

Components

semantic
⺈ dāo
knife/cap (top variant)
Top two strokes — the cap-shape also topping 兔 (rabbit), 急 (urgent), 色 (colour). In 免 those notches are key: 免 was 兔 with its tail-dot dropped, signifying the rabbit that escaped, hence 'to escape, to avoid.' The whole char is indexed under Kangxi #10 儿 (ér, legs) — the running-legs at the bottom.
semantic
口 kǒu
mouth; small enclosure
Middle small square — pictographically the rabbit's body in profile, here squared into a stylised 口 shape. Sandwiched between the ears above and the legs below, it forms the body of the escaping animal. Visually identical to the mouth radical 口 but functioning as a body-outline here.
semantic
儿 ér
legs; person
Bottom two strokes — a stylised pair of legs. Below the rabbit's body and ears above, they show the legs in motion: the rabbit running away. The whole compound: ears + body + bounding legs = a rabbit fleeing the trap. From that ancient picture came 'to escape, to be exempted from.'

Stroke Order

免 miǎn