adverb / adjective HSK 4
Traditional 難免
hard to avoid · inevitable · unavoidable
Meaning
难免 means something is difficult to avoid or is bound to happen. It expresses that certain outcomes, mistakes, or situations are natural or expected given the circumstances. The word combines 难 (difficult) and 免 (to avoid), literally meaning 'difficult to avoid.'
Usage
Native speakers use 难免 to soften criticism or acknowledge that mistakes or problems are understandable. It often appears before verbs to indicate that an action or state is hard to prevent. Common in both spoken and written Chinese, it conveys acceptance of imperfection.
Examples
- 01刚开始学中文，难免会出错。, .When you first start learning Chinese, mistakes are inevitable.
- 02人多的时候，难免有些混乱。, .When there are many people, some chaos is unavoidable.
Characters
Common collocations
- 难免会will inevitably
- 难免有inevitably there are
- 在所难免unavoidable, inevitable (set phrase)
Antonyms
Origin
The compound formed from 难 (difficult) and 免 (to avoid, escape from). The character 免 originally depicted a person giving birth, later extending to meanings of escape and exemption.