意外

yìwài

adjective HSK 3 #1,137

Meanings

1 unexpected; surprising
2 accident; mishap

Characters

meaning; expectation

outside; beyond

Literally 'outside of expectation' — something unexpected.

Examples

这个结果让人很意外。

Zhège jiéguǒ ràng rén hěn yìwài.

This result was very unexpected.

路上发生了一起意外。

Lùshàng fāshēng le yī qǐ yìwài.

An accident happened on the road.

真没想到，太意外了！

Zhēn méixiǎngdào, tài yìwài le!

I really didn't expect it — what a surprise!

Tips

usage

意外 as an adjective means 'unexpected' (neutral to positive surprise). As a noun it means 'accident' (negative). Context is key: 意外的惊喜 (unexpected pleasant surprise) vs. 出了意外 (an accident occurred).

Stroke Order

意 yì

外 wài