gù yì
intentional
他故意把门关得很响。
tā gùyì bǎ mén guān de hěn xiǎng.
He deliberately slammed the door.
她故意装作没看见我。
tā gùyì zhuāng zuò méi kànjiàn wǒ.
She pretended not to see me on purpose.
他们故意制造混乱。
tāmen gùyì zhìzào húnluàn.
They deliberately created chaos.
无意 (wú yì)
unintentional
偶然 (ǒu rán)
accidental
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The Chinese word 故意 (gùyì) is composed of two characters: 故 (gù) and 意 (yì). 故 originally meant "old" or "former," but in this context, it has the meaning of "intentionally" or "deliberately." 意 means "thought" or "intention." So, the word 故意 literally means "intentionally thinking" or "deliberately intending." It is used to describe actions that are done on purpose or with a specific intention. For example, if someone says 你故意这样做吗？(nǐ gùyì zhèyàng zuò ma?), they are asking "Did you do that on purpose?"
