刻意 (kè yì) — deliberately, on purpose

Subj. + 刻意 (kèyì) / 有意 (yǒuyì) + Verb; Subj. + 任意 (rènyì) + Verb; Subj. + 擅自 (shànzì) / 私自 (sīzì) + Verb

HSK 7–93.0

Pattern diagram

Who / what刻意有意任意擅自私自Action

Rule structure

刻意 (kèyì) and 有意 (yǒuyì) indicate intention, 任意 (rènyì) indicates arbitrariness, and 擅自 (shànzì) / 私自 (sīzì) indicate acting without permission. 有意 (yǒuyì) can also mean "intend to", but here only the "on purpose" sense is covered.

Examples

他刻意把声音放低,不想吵醒孩子。

Tā kèyì bǎ shēngyīn fàng dī, bù xiǎng chǎo xǐng háizi.

He deliberately lowered his voice, not wanting to wake the child.

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Words from this rule

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “deliberately, on purpose” in Chinese with 刻意?

Use the structure: Subj. + 刻意 (kèyì) / 有意 (yǒuyì) + Verb; Subj. + 任意 (rènyì) + Verb; Subj. + 擅自 (shànzì) / 私自 (sīzì) + Verb. For example: 他刻意把声音放低,不想吵醒孩子。 — “He deliberately lowered his voice, not wanting to wake the child”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他刻意把声音放低,不想吵醒孩子。 — “He deliberately lowered his voice, not wanting to wake the child”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.

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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules