冷不防

lěngbufáng

adverb #48,726

Meanings

Tā lěngbufáng de cóng bèihòu pāi le wǒ yīxià.

He suddenly slapped my back without warning.

Lěngbufáng bèi wèn dào zhè ge wèntí, wǒ yīxiàzi dā bù shàng lái.

Caught off guard by the question, I couldn't answer right away.

memory

Parse as 冷 (lěng — 'cold / sudden') + 不防 ('not on guard'): 'caught with one's guard down'. The 不 here is neutral tone: lěngbufáng, not lěngbùfáng.

usage

Almost always adverbial — placed before a verb to mark something startling. Common partner: 冷不防地 (with the structural 地).

冷 lěng

不 bù

防 fáng