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HSK 6 Adverbs

不免

Inevitably / can't help but (不免)

Structure premise,(subject) + 不免 + reaction / consequence

不免 (bùmiǎn) marks a consequence or reaction that arises naturally and inevitably from what was just said: «one can't help but…, inevitably…». 久别重逢,不免感慨万千 = «meeting again after so long, one can't help but be overwhelmed with feeling». Unlike 难免 (HSK 5), which judges that something bad «is hard to avoid», 不免 describes an effect that actually occurs, almost always a feeling or reaction; and unlike 未免, it carries no reproach. It is written register and usually opens the second clause after a premise.

Examples

  • jiǔbiéchóngféngmiǎngǎnkǎiwànqiān

    Meeting again after so long, one can't help but be overwhelmed with feeling.

  • tīngdàozhègexiāoximiǎnyǒuxiēshīwàng

    On hearing the news, he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed.

  • chūdàoxiāngmiǎnyǒufēn

    Newly arrived in a foreign land, one inevitably feels a touch of loneliness.

  • miànduìchǎngmiànzhòngrénmiǎndòngróng

    Faced with such a scene, the onlookers couldn't help but be moved.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

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