不知不觉bù zhī bù jué(idiom) unconsciously; unwittingly

1. 1.

   (idiom) unconsciously; unwittinglyidiom

Figurative meaning

Unconsciously; unwittingly.

• 不(bound form) not; un-
• 知to know
• 不(bound form) not; un-
• 觉aware

No attested origin story

不知不觉 often comes before the verb, sometimes with 地 or 中, to show that something happened without the person noticing.

1. HSK 3

   我们聊着聊着，不知不觉天就黑了。

   Wǒmen liáo zhe liáo zhe, bù zhī bù jué tiān jiù hēi le.

   We kept chatting, and before we knew it, it had gotten dark.

2. HSK 2

   看书的时候，他不知不觉睡着了。

   Kàn shū de shíhou, tā bù zhī bù jué shuìzháo le.

   While reading, he unwittingly fell asleep.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   已经十二点了？

   Yǐjīng shí'èr diǎn le?

   It's already twelve o'clock?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   是啊，我们不知不觉玩了三个小时。

   Shì a, wǒmen bù zhī bù jué wán le sān gè xiǎoshí.

   Yeah, we played for three hours without noticing.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   该睡觉了。

   Gāi shuìjiào le.

   Time for bed.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   明天再玩吧。

   Míngtiān zài wán ba.

   Let's play again tomorrow.

1. 1.What does 不知不觉 mean?

   AUnconsciously; unwittinglyBOn purposeCTo be effective
2. 2.Which sentence uses 不知不觉 correctly?

   A看着电视，她不知不觉睡着了。B这本书很不知不觉。C我不知不觉了一个问题。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 聊着聊着，____天就黑了。 (We kept chatting, and it got dark before we noticed.)

   A不知不觉B与众不同C触目惊心

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Related idioms

• 不知所措bù zhī suǒ cuònot knowing what to doHSK 7–9
• 不可思议bù kě sī yìinconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomableHSK 7–9
• 不约而同bù yuē ér tóng(idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreementHSK 7–9
• 不言而喻bù yán ér yù(idiom) it goes without saying; it is self-evidentHSK 7–9
• 与众不同yǔ zhòng bù tóng(idiom) to stand out from the crowd; distinctive; different from the restHSK 7–9
• 可想而知kě xiǎng ér zhī(idiom) (it) goes without saying; can well be imaginedHSK 7–9

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