免 miǎn avoid
avoid; to exempt
How to remember 免: ⺈ bow + 口 mouth + 丿 slash + 乚 hook = avoid. With a toy bow, a full mouth and a chocolate slash on his cheek, the boy hides under the coats on the hook to avoid his piano lesson.
Component breakdown
免 = ⺈ bow + 口 mouth + 丿 slash + 乚 hook
- ⺈ bow
- 口 mouth
- 丿 slash
- 乚 hook
With a toy bow, a full mouth and a chocolate slash on his cheek, the boy hides under the coats on the hook to avoid his piano lesson.
How it came to be
A figure with something drawn over the head and coming away from it: a helmet being taken off, or a child being born; nobody is sure. Getting out from under a thing is the sense.
How it is used
- To exempt/avoid - 免费 (miǎnfèi) free of charge, 避免 (bìmiǎn) avoid, 难免 (nánmiǎn) hard to avoid.
- 免得 (miǎnde) / 以免 (yǐmiǎn) introduce a clause = "so as to avoid": 早点走，免得堵车 (zǎo diǎn zǒu, miǎnde dǔchē) leave early so you don't hit traffic.
- 避免 (bìmiǎn) is to actively steer clear; 难免 concedes something is inevitable.
Characters built with 免
Words with 免
- 免费miǎn fèifree (of charge)HSK 4
- 避免bìmiǎnto avertHSK 5
- 以免yǐmiǎnin order to avoidHSK 6
- 免疫miǎnyìimmunity (to disease)HSK 6
- 免税miǎnshuìnot liable to taxationHSK 6
- 难免nánmiǎnhard to avoidHSK 6
- 不免bùmiǎninevitablyHSK 7
- 免不了miǎnbuliǎounavoidableHSK 7
- 免得miǎndeso as not toHSK 7
- 免职miǎnzhíto relieve somebody of his postHSK 7
- 免除miǎnchúto preventHSK 7
- 减免jiǎnmiǎnto reduce or waiveHSK 7
- 在所难免zàisuǒnánmiǎnto be unavoidable (idiom)HSK 7
- 幸免xìngmiǎnto avoid (an unpleasant fate)HSK 7
- 未免wèimiǎnunavoidablyHSK 9
- 罢免bàmiǎnto remove somebody from their postHSK 9
Example sentences
- 今天公园免费开放。 Jīntiān gōngyuán miǎnfèi kāifàng.Park admission is free today.
- 带把伞出去，避免淋雨。 Dài bǎ sǎn chūqù, bìmiǎn línyǔ.Bring along an umbrella to avoid the rain.