adjective / noun / adverb HSK 4
unfortunate · misfortune · unfortunately · sad
Meaning
不幸 describes unfortunate circumstances, bad luck, or sadness. As an adjective it means 'unfortunate' or 'unlucky'; as a noun it means 'misfortune' or 'tragedy'; as an adverb it means 'unfortunately' or 'sadly'. It conveys genuine regret or sympathy about negative events.
Usage
Commonly used in both written and spoken Chinese to express sympathy or describe truly unfortunate events. When used as an adverb at the beginning of a sentence (不幸的是), it introduces bad news. The word carries a more serious, formal tone than casual expressions of bad luck, often referring to accidents, deaths, or significant losses.
Examples
- 01不幸的是，他在车祸中失去了双腿。, .Unfortunately, he lost both legs in the car accident.
- 02听到这个不幸的消息，我们都很难过。, .We were all very sad to hear this unfortunate news.
Characters
Common collocations
- 不幸的是unfortunately
- 不幸去世to pass away unfortunately
- 遭遇不幸to encounter misfortune
- 深感不幸to deeply regret the misfortune
Antonyms
Origin
Formed by negating 幸 (fortunate/lucky) with 不 (not), creating the direct opposite meaning of 'not fortunate' or 'unfortunate'.