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本意

běn yì

HSK 3.0 level 7-9 2-character word

本意 (běn yì) means "original idea; real intention; etymon". It is an HSK 3.0 level 7-9 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 本意 means

1. original idea
2. real intention
3. etymon

The characters in 本意

• 本běn(bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this
• 意yì(bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination…

Example sentences

• 那不是我的本意。
  Nà bù shì wǒ de běnyì.
  That wasn't my intention.
• 自私不是我的本意。
  Zìsī bù shì wǒ de běnyì.
  I didn't mean to be selfish.

Sounds the same

Read běn yì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 本义original meaning; literal sense

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read běn yì correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.