Definition
有意无意 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning 'intentionally or unintentionally' — it describes an action that could be either deliberate or accidental, often implying a blurry line between the two. It's typically used as an adverbial phrase before a verb, suggesting that the speaker isn't sure about the actor's intention, or that the result happened without clear intent. Unlike the literal translation 'wittingly or unwittingly', the Chinese phrase carries a nuance of 'casually, without making a conscious effort' in many contexts.
f.e.
intentionally or unintentionallywittingly or unwittingly(adverbial) in a way that may or may not be deliberate
Examples
- 有意无意，。Tā yǒu yì wú yì de tí qǐ le nà jiàn shì, ràng wǒ hěn gāngà.He brought up that matter, intentionally or not, and made me very embarrassed.
- 有意无意，。Tā yǒu yì wú yì de kàn le wǒ yì yǎn, ránhòu jìxù gōngzuò.She glanced at me, whether on purpose or not, and then continued working.
- 有意无意。Zuòzhě zài wén zhōng yǒu yì wú yì de pīpíng le zhè zhǒng shèhuì xiànxiàng.The author criticized this social phenomenon in the text, perhaps deliberately or perhaps not.
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