本意

本意 běnyì

Original intention

benyi

What 本意 means

  1. Original intention

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 本意 will read it the same way this page does.

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Character by character

本意 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

本
běn
This (measure word for books - roots - original)
意
yì
Meaning (wish - desire - expect - intention)

How to write 本意

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Practise 本意 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

Questions about 本意

What does 本意 mean in English?

本意 is pronounced běnyì and means Original intention.

How do you pronounce 本意?

本意 is běnyì in pinyin — written benyi without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 本意?

本意 is written with 2 characters: 本 (běn) This (measure word for books - roots - original), 意 (yì) Meaning (wish - desire - expect - intention). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

Keep going

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