刻意 kèyì intentionally
intentionally; deliberately; purposely; painstakingly; meticulously
How to remember 刻意: 刻 quarter (hour) + 意 idea = intentionally.
Characters
How it is used
- Marks an action as deliberate and purposeful, often with effort or even artificiality - 他刻意回避这个话题 (tā kèyì huíbì zhège huàtí) he deliberately avoided the topic.
- Adverb before a verb; contrast 故意 (gùyì), which stresses intent-with-motive (often blameworthy), while 刻意 stresses taking pains / on purpose.
- Can carry a hint of over-doing it: 刻意打扮 (dress up studiedly).