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一不小心

yībùxiǎoxīn
phrase HSK 7 #16,894

Meanings

  1. 1 accidentally
  2. 2 carelessly
  3. 3 if one is not careful

Characters

一
yī
once; as soon as
不
bù
not
小心
xiǎoxīn
careful
Literally 'once not careful' — the moment you let your guard down.

Examples

我一不小心把杯子摔碎了。
Wǒ yī bù xiǎoxīn bǎ bēizi shuāisuì le.
I accidentally broke the cup.
她一不小心说错了话。
Tā yī bù xiǎoxīn shuōcuò le huà.
She carelessly said the wrong thing.
一不小心就会迷路。
Yī bù xiǎoxīn jiù huì mílù.
If you're not careful, you'll get lost.

Tips

grammar
Usually placed before the main verb phrase. Often paired with 就: 一不小心就… (if not careful, then…).

Stroke Order

一 yī
不 bù
小 xiǎo
心 xīn