事故
shìgù
In Chinese, 'accident' can be translated as 事故 (shìgù) or 意外.
Meaning: unexpected event with negative consequences (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 事故 | shìgù |
| 意外 | yìwài |
The term 事故 refers to an unexpected event with negative consequences. The verb phrase 发生事故 is the standard way to say that an accident occurred or that someone had an accident.
Which one should you use?
事故 is typically used for formal or technical accidents, such as traffic accidents or industrial mishaps involving vehicles, machinery or industry. In contrast, 意外 is used for more general unexpected events or surprises. These can be neutral or negative, whereas 事故 is strictly negative.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 意外 as an adjective to describe a noun, such as an accidental encounter, you add the particle 的 to form 意外的.
How do you pronounce it?
shìgù
Did you know?
- The character 意 in 意外 refers to 'intention' or 'will', meaning an 'accident' is literally something that falls 'outside' 外 of one's intentions.
- When an event is truly random and unavoidable, Chinese speakers may use the term 意外 to imply that fate or destiny played a role, rather than just human error.
- While 意外 means 'accident', it is also the standard word for 'surprise' in Chinese. If someone gives you a gift unexpectedly, it is considered an 意外.
Examples in context
- 事故發生在轉角。The accident took place at that corner.This sentence is useful for describing where a 事故 took place.Tatoeba #4732054 by egg0073, translation #47119 by Dejo
- 事故耽誤了交通。The accident held up traffic.This sentence is useful for showing how a 事故 can affect traffic.Tatoeba #5452161 by egg0073, translation #263698 by CK
- 汤姆出了桩事故。Tom had a bad accident.This sentence is useful for describing someone having a 事故.Tatoeba #9968967 by GlossaMatik, translation #4660279 by Hybrid
- 昨天发生了一起严重的交通事故。Yesterday, a serious traffic accident occurred.
- 我不小心摔倒了，发生了一起意外事件。I slipped and fell, an accident happened.
- 他在下雨时滑倒了，出事了。He slipped during the rain and had an accident.
- 117 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are talking about a news report on the street.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen伟，你看到新闻了吗？Wěi, nǐ kàndào xīnwén le ma?Wei, did you see the news?
- 伟 Wei没看到，怎么了？Méi kàndào, zěnme le?I didn't see it, what's up?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen刚才路口发生了交通事故。Gāngcái lùkǒu fāshēngle jiāotōng shìgù.A traffic accident just happened at the intersection.
- 伟 Wei天哪，那很危险。Tiān nǎ, nà hěn wēixiǎn.Oh my, that's very dangerous.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “accident” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
