HSK 7-9
不免
bùmiǎn
Unavoidably; inevitably
Structure
Condition/Context + (Subject) + 不免 + Verb/Adjective
How it works
The adverb '不免' is used to indicate that a certain result or situation is difficult to avoid under specific circumstances, often implying a logical consequence or a natural reaction. It is frequently used to describe feelings, reactions, or consequences that occur spontaneously or predictably.
Examples
初次在这么多人面前演讲，他心头不免有些紧张。
Chūcì zài zhème duō rén miànqián yǎnjiǎng, tā xīntóu bùmiǎn yǒuxiē jǐnzhāng.
Giving a speech in front of so many people for the first time, he inevitably felt a bit nervous.
老同学多年不见，谈起往事，不免感慨万千。
Lǎo tóngxué duōnián bùjiàn, tán qǐ wǎngshì, bùmiǎn gǎnkǎi wànqiān.
Old classmates meeting after many years can't help but feel deeply moved when talking about the past.
这项任务时间紧任务重，过程中不免会出现一些疏漏。
Zhè xiàng rènwù shíjiān jǐn rènwù zhòng, guòchéng zhōng bùmiǎn huì chūxiàn yīxiē shūlòu.
The deadline for this task is tight and the workload heavy; some oversights will inevitably occur during the process.
Common mistakes
Confusing '不免' with '未免' (wèimiǎn). While '不免' means 'unavoidably,' '未免' is used to express a polite but firm criticism or disagreement, often meaning 'a bit too' or 'rather.'
Tip
To emphasize that something is truly difficult to escape, you can expand it to '难免' (nánmiǎn), which is often interchangeable but focuses more on the difficulty of prevention.
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 不免 in real Chinese
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